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MY RUSSIAN AND 
TURKISH JOURNALS 



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Z S 

W u 
pj o 



MY RUSSIAN AND 
TURKISH JOURNALS 



BY THE DOWAGER MARCHIONESS 
OF DUFFERIN AND AVA 

AUTHOR OF "our VICEREGAL LIFE IN INDIA," "MY CANADIAN JOURNAL," ETC. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 



NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

597-599 FIFTH AVENUE 

1916 



3? 



/7 



^ 



^^^^^ 



PREFACE 

The first of these journal letters; addressed to my 
Mother, was written thirty-seven and the last thirty- 
two years ago. 

These years represent a very long time in the life of 
a person, but a very short time in the history of a 
country, and yet between the years 1879 and 191 6 
very great changes have taken place in the countries 
mentioned in these pages. And although I only tell 
of the social life in our Embassies, and of my own 
personal experiences, and make no pretence of writing 
a book about Russia or Turkey, my readers cannot 
but realise that times are greatly changed since these 
letters were written. 

' When we were in Russia a dark cloud of Anarchism 
hung over her chief cities, unrest and discontent were 
spoken of on all sides ; while now the enthusiastic 
patriotism of her people, their self-sacrifice, their 
dogged perseverance, and their serious and reverent 
attitude towards life, fill us with admiration. We 
rejoice in her strength and are proud of our great Ally. 

Turkey, alas I is now our enemy, but it is impossible 
not to have a kindly feeling for a country in which 
one has spent a happy time, and I am glad to believe 
that Turkish soldiers fight " like gentlemen," and 
that they treat their prisoners with humanity. 

I had special opportunities of knowing how terribly 
their women and children suffered in the last Balkan 
War : I can well imagine how sad must be their 
condition now, and I think of them with the greatest 
pity. 

It was a very much brighter Turkey I knew, even 
though it was reigned over by Abdul Hamid. 

This account of life in our Embassies is altogether 
one-sided; the business part of it is entirely left out. 
No mention is made in it of diplomatic pourparlers, 



vi PREFACE 

of despatches, of telegrams sent and received, or of 
the current business of which there is so much both 
in Russia and Turkey ; nor have I told of the days and 
nights spent by the Chancery in ciphering and de- 
ciphering the communications which pass between the 
Foreign Office and His Majesty's Ambassadors. 

Indeed, I feel that I owe an apology to the members 
of our Embassies for so completely ignoring the 
laborious side of Diplomacy. 

I trust that no one of those mentioned in this 
journal will object to the inclusion of his name, or to 
anything I have said of him. I look back with the 
greatest gratitude to all the kindness and friendship 
shown to us by those who shared our life in these 
Embassies. The Ambassador and I always realised 
how much we owed to the loyal support of " the 
Chancery " in everything that we attempted to do. 

Of the Ambassador himself I cannot write. The 
work he did and all that he accomplished in the 
various offices he held is told in other places, but from 
the restricted point of view of this Journal I may add, 
that in his home and social life the unusually great 
gift of sympathy which he possessed enabled him to 
enter into the joys and sorrows, the disappointments 
or the plq^sures of those amongst whom he lived, 
while his own powers of enjoyment and his desire 
that all around him should be happy were the main- 
spring of everything that was cheerful and socially 
successful in our Embassies. 

Although it is an anachronism, I have thought it 
best to change the St. Petersburg of my journal to 
" Petrograd," by which name we are already accus- 
tomed to speak of that city. 

I have to thank Susan, Countess of Malmesbury, 
for allowing me to use some illustrations from Sir 
John Ardagh's water-colour drawings, Miss Florence 
Wyndham for some of her sketches, Major A. P. Black- 
wood for photographs taken by him in Moscow, and 
Baron Cyril Wrangel for permission to reproduce an 
old print of Petrograd. By their kindness they have 
greatly added to any interest this book may have. 
Hariot Dufferin and Ava. 



CONTENTS 
CHAPTER I 

PAGB 

BERLIN AND PETROGRAD .... I 

CHAPTER n 

THE WINTER AT PETROGRAD — MOSCOW . . 60 

CHAPTER HI 

OUR SECOND WINTER AT PETROGRAD BERLIN 

EN ROUTE FOR CONSTANTINOPLE . . I08 

CHAPTER IV 

WINTER ENTERTAINMENTS RETURN TO CON- 
STANTINOPLE . . . . .181 

CHAPTER V 

ENTERTAINMENTS OUR JOURNEY UP THE NILE 

LONDON TO CONSTANTINOPLE . . 263 

CHAPTER VI 

CONSTANTINOPLE . . . . . - 321 

INDEX 339 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
THE KREMLIN ...... Frontispiece 

FACING PAGE 

THE NEVA . 34 

THE SACRED GATE 94 

THE BRITISH EMBASSY, THERAPIA, BURNT DOWN 

DECEMBER IQII 128 

ST. SOPHIA . . . . . . . . 150 

THE FRENCH EMBASSY, THERAPIA .... 166 

CONSTANTINOPLE, 1888 .... . . 188" 

THE "lady HERMIONE" 2l6- 

MOSQUE AND CITADEL, CAIRO, 1 887 .... 24O 

KARNAK ......... 286 

VIEW FROM THE GARDENS OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY, 

CONSTANTINOPLE 302 ' 

BROUSSA 332 



IX 



It is the Author's purpose to present the proceeds 
of this book to War Charities. 



MY RUSSIAN AND TURKISH 
JOURNALS 

[Lord Dufferin left Canada at the end of the year 1878, and very 
shortly after was appointed Ambassador to Russia. 

He and I went there in February 1879, and returned home in May. 

The Ambassador only remained in England a month and then went 
back to Petrograd. 

He was again in England in August, and intended to return to 
Petrograd with me in November, but was detained by Lord Salis- 
bury till December, when he rejoined me and the children. — H. D.] 

CHAPTER I 

BERLIN 

Tuesday, February 2$th, 1879. — ^We reached Berlin at 
10.30 p.m., and drove to the Kaiserhof Hotel. It is 
very large and very comfortable, but we have entered 
the region of stuffiness. The rooms are warmed with 
hot air, and there are no fireplaces, and no slits in 
the double windows such as we had in Canada, for 
letting in a little ozone ! We shall be hardened to 
this in Russia, I hear ! 

Wednesday, 26th. — ^Weather, a wet snow falling. 
Breakfast, substantial and good. View, cheerful ; a 
large square, surrounded by handsome buildings, and 
plenty of people scurrying about, to and from church, 
I suppose (Ash Wednesday): from the other window 
a street with a cab-stand in it, and a row of coach- 
men in large cloth pelisses. 

We had a little man to lunch, who has been sent 
out by the English Government to value the furni- 



2 INVITATION TO THE PALACE [ch. i 

ture in our Embassy. He talked so much that I 
thought we should never get away, and when we did 
escape we were too late for any sight-seeing, all 
picture galleries, etc., being closed at three. 

D. saw Lord Odo Russell in the morning, and we 
both dined at the Embassy. Mr. and Mrs. Bering 
and some Attaches were the only other people there. 
I inquired about some of my duties from Lady 
Odo, and find that my office will not be so easy as 
it was in Canada. Lady Odo arranges and writes all 
her own invitations, manages her house, and has 
endless leaving of cards and visits to do. She is 
also ** at home " every evening after four. 

Thursday, 2'jth. — At breakfast I received a note 
from " la Comtesse Perponcher, Grande Maitresse de 
sa Majeste L'Imperatrice et Reine " to say that Her 
Majesty will receive D. and me at a quarter to five 
this afternoon, and that the audience will be followed 
by a dinner with the Emperor and Empress.* A 
card of invitation also came " Auf allerhochstem 
Befehl Ihrer Kaiserlichen Majestaten beehrt sich 
der unterzeichnete Oberhof und Haus Marschal'l 
seine Exc?ellenz Lord und Lady DufFerin zu einem 
Diner am 27. Feb. 1879, um 5 Uhr, im Koniglichen 
Palais einzuladen. Anzug : Uniform." I have written 
to ask Lady Odo what dress is worn at these early 
dinners. 

D. and I took a walk in the town, and were much 
disappointed with the shops ; they are very poor. The 
streets were wet and slippery, the houses dripped upon 
one, and piles of snow were swept up to the pavement. 

On our return I had a pleasant visit from Lady 
Odo Russell, and before she left D. came in from 
Prince Bismarck's. D. was delighted with him, and 
came to tell me that the Prince was coming to see 
me I It was 3,30 p.m., and I had to start for the 
* William I and the Empress Augusta. 



l879] PRINCE BISMARCK 3 

palace in an hour, so I felt rather alarmed lest my 
time for dressing should be cut short. I waited a 
little, and then had my hair done, waited longer, and 
then in despair began to put on my evening dress ; 
but he arrived while my maid was still lacing and 
" tying back." It was broad daylight, so I put on 
a long fur cloak, and went in to receive the great 
man. I only hope he either understood or did not 
notice the peculiarity of my costume, but I am not 
sure about that. 

He was in uniform, a large, tall man with a very 
pleasant face. He sat down and talked all the 
time, very good English, in a deliberate manner. 
He told me a great deal about Prussia, and I enjoyed 
his visit very much, though feeling a little anxious 
about the time. D. had, however, the happy thought 
to send and tell me that the carriage was at the 
door, and then my visitor picked up his shining 
helmet and left. 

I was very much pleased by his visit, but was 
still more flattered when I saw Lord Frederick 
Hamilton's surprise at hearing of it. " Why," he 
said, " Prince Bismarck does not go out of his house 
four times a year, and only goes to Parliament in a 
close carriage, and all the Emperors, etc., have to 
go to him. He just came to see * Dizzy * once 
when he was ill here, and could not go out himself." 

Well, I hurried back to my dressing, and got off 
in time, arriving at the palace most punctually. It 
is not at all imposing outside, being in the street, 
and inside there is nothing very large or fine about 
it. The staircase is marble, and is like the one at 
Clandeboye, only round instead of square. 

The lady-in-waiting met us in a long room at the 
top of it, and took us into another empty one to 
await the Empress. As she approached, the doors 
of a third were opened, and we advanced to the 



4 THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS [ch. i 

threshold, and curtseyed and bowed as we saw her; 
then she shook hands, made some civil speeches, 
and instantly proposed that we should sit down. 
There was a sofa fitting into a corner, and in front 
of it a marble table, behind this she and I sat, while 
D. and the lady sat in front. We talked for about 
ten minutes (French), and then the Emperor came 
in — such a fine old man ! He still uses a sling for his 
right arm, not yet having recovered the use of it. 
The " Interview " lasted a little longer, then the 
Empress got up, told us who the portraits in the 
room were, curtseyed, and said she would have the 
pleasure of seeing us again, and returned to her 
boudoir. The Emperor led the way into the other 
room, and then joined the Empress. 

We returned to the long room in which we had 
been first received, and found there assembled a 
brilliant array of officers in handsome uniforms, and 
a few ladies. The Emperor and Empress soon came 
in ; we all bowed as they entered, and then they 
began to go round and speak to every one, but 
first the Empress told her lady to show me her 
boudoir, .and her picture of the Queen. As I fol- 
lowed her out, a gentleman said, " I must introduce 
myself. Lady Dufferin," upon which I graciously 
held out my hand. " I am the husband of the 
Princess Royal." It took me a second to realize 
that this was the Crown Prince 1 

I instantly curtseyed, and felt much taken aback; 
but he is so nice, such a frank, simple manner, one 
feels at once that he is a " real man." I counted 
twenty-one orders on his coat, but there were more. 

The boudoir was not very remarkable. It had 
two writing-tables in bowers, surrounded on three 
sides by trellis work, and green leaves and flowers, 
and family photographs and pictures, one of our 
Queen when young, with a large wreath of roses on 



1879I DINNER AT THE PALACE 5 

her head. When we got back to the saloon the 
Crown Prince came and talked to me, and introduced 
his son-in-law/ a very young-looking boy ; he did 
not say anything, and, though he sat at one side of 
me at dinner, we did not make much acquaintance. 

The Empress went in with her son, and then, to 
my surprise, the Emperor gave me his arm ! He 
was very nice at dinner, and talked to me a great 
deal. He knew D.'s mother long ago, and used to 
write to her. 

Dinner was not very long, and we all left the 
room together, the Empress going out at one door, 
and our side of the table at another : we met in the 
next room, and the Empress again sat down with 
me, behind another marble table. 

The dining-room holds about thirty, the walls are 
a shining white, one end of the room covered with 
plate ; it was well lighted, there were flowers on the 
table, and everything was very nice, but simple for 
a palace. Numbers of the servants wore rows of 
war-medals, and indeed there is a great sentiment 
of reality about people and things at this Court. 
The men have all seen active service. The Emperor 
is so natural and simple. There is solidity even 
about the food, and no affectation about any one 
except perhaps the Empress, whose manners are 
somewhat artificial. She wore white, and a small 
tiara of diamonds with cameos set in it. Talking 
went on for about twenty minutes, and then the 
party broke up at half-past six. The Empress went 
to the French theatre, and the gentlemen all went 
to a " Court Circle," to say good-bye to the Duke 
of Connaught's bride. 

After I had changecj my dress D. and I went to a 
German theatre, and saw a spectacular piece, of 
which the scenery was the best part. It was the 

1 The Prince of Saxe-Meiningen. 



6 DINNER AT PRINCE BISMARCK'S [cii. i 

Sleeping Beauty, and after it there was a very good, 
well-dressed, decent ballet. It was over before ten, 
and on our return we had a visit from Lord Frederick 
Hamilton, D.'s godson, who is attache here. 

Friday, 2Stk. — D. and I went over the National 
Gallery. The pictures are arranged in a number of 
small rooms, on three different stories. There is a 
handsome marble staircase, and a few good pictures, 
but not many. They were all modern, and of 
course there were several large battle-pieces. 

In the afternoon I left some cards, and at half- 
past six we went to dine at the English Embassy. 

I have had a shock I Having provided myself 
with a trousseau for Petrograd, I learnt last night 
that a " Grand Duke," a young boy, has died, and 
that I shall have to wear mourning for three months I 
I had been particularly told not to get black for 
Russia, as I had intended to do, so now I have to go 
off to a dressmaker here, and buy a black evening 
dress, a bonnet, etc. It is vexatious, when one has 
ruined oneself in coloured gowns, to let one's gay 
feathers grow old-fashioned in a box, and to have 
to live in a limited supply of black. 

Count H. Bismarck came in the evening, and we 
are to dine with his father to-night at live, in our 
travelling dress. He wanted to ask us on Thursday, 
but his wife told him their two " Pomeranian aunts " 
were coming that night, and he said " they would 
not amuse Lord Dufferin." 

Saturday night, March ist. — ^We have just returned 
from dining with Prince Bismarck. He was in an 
undress uniform, his wife in a green silk of a bright 
shade, his daughter (married) in grey, I in a dark 
morning dress. There were two sons, a son-in-law. 
Lord Odo Russell, and one or two other men, and 
there was present Bismarck's own enormous big 
black dog, which follows him everywhere. 



1879] ARRIVAL AT PETROGRAD 7 

We had oysters, chicken patties, fish, young wild 
boar, venison, cheese, ice. The Prince talked very 
pleasantly all the time. He spoke of the way in 
which his salmon river used to be poached, and told 
me that he easily stopped that by " throwing in a 
few dead horses, and then they touched the fish no 
more." We all left the dining-room together, and 
when we came out Prince Bismarck bowed to me, 
and said, " In Germany we say, * God bless you ' " 
— then everybody shook hands, and he kissed his 
wife, his daughter, and his sons, a pretty and un- 
sophisticated custom. I was then asked if I would 
allow smoking, and everybody lit a cigar, and Bis- 
marck sat and talked to D., smoking a very long 
pipe meantime. We have now come home, seveii 
o'clock, to pack up. 

Sunday, 2nd. — ^Travelling all day ; had a comfort- 
able car for the night. 



PETROGRAD 

Monday, February 2>^d. — ^At four yesterday we 
crossed the frontier, and got into a very good Russian 
carriage, in which we slept and spent to-day, reaching 
Petrograd at six. 

Mr. Plunkett, First Secretary, Lord William 
Compton, and Mr. Condie Stephen, Secretaries, and 
Mr. Michell, Consul, met us, and we drove to the Hotel 
d'Europe,* where we have comfortable rooms. We 
were very glad of our dinner, and went early to bed. 
D. was delighted to find two open fireplaces. We 
drove here on wheels, and not in sleighs, as it has 
been a very mild winter here, unlike the rest of 
Europe. 

My dress troubles are not nearly over. Now I am 

1 Lord and Lady Augustus Loftus had not yet left the Embassy* 
2 



8 FIRST IMPRESSIONS [ch. i 

told that I must go into white for all joyful occa- 
sions, and that when we are presented to the Empress 
I shall probably have to wear a white woollen dress 
(which I have not got) ; then I am to wear black 
wool every day for a month, then black silks, etc. 
All this involves more ordering and buying, and no 
time to do it economically through one's maid, or 
comparatively so, by getting things from England. 

I think we must have some Russian lessons, so as 
to know the letters, and be able to pronounce a 
little. It is so odd not to be able even to spell the 
names of the streets and shops. 

We have been to the Embassy to see Lord and 
Lady Augustus Loftus. The house is in a good 
situation, facing the Neva, and the rooms are cheer- 
ful and good. Of course everything there is in 
confusion, as there is to be a sale of their things, so 
I will not attempt a description now. We made our 
first Russian acquaintance while paying this visit. 
Princess Soltikoff came in ; she is our landlady, and 
lives in the back part of this house. Lady Augustus 
kindly told me some of the things I wanted to know, 
and recommended some of her servants whom we 
take on. 

In the afternoon D. and I took a walk in the 
town. The streets are in a bad state now, very wet, 
the pavements rough and uneven, the shop windows 
poor, and the large houses look dull, and as if they 
suffered from damp. 

The sleighs are not so handsome as the Canadian 
ones. The horse, the coachman, and the lady, all 
seem squashed up together ; but some smart ones 
have a very large net thrown over the horses and 
attached to the sleigh, which looks very pretty. 

Wednesday, Sth. — D. called on Prince Gortschakoff, 
who returned his visit instantly, in accordance with 
rules laid down in a book : 



1879] OFFICIAL VISITS 9 

** L'Ainbassadeur fait notifier son arrivee au Ministre 
des affaires ^trangeres," etc. 

** L'Ambassadeur ayant ^te prevenu de I'heure k 
laquelle il peut ^tre regu par le Ministre des affaires 
etrangeres, se rend chez lui pour lui communiquer ses 
lettres de creance, et pour demander ses audiences 
de presentation," etc. 

So far D. has got ; he has paid his visit, and it has 
been returned. 

** Madame L'Ambassadrice " (says the book) ** fait 
la premiere visite a Madame la Grande Maitresse de 
la Cour. A cet effet elle lui fait demander le jour 
et I'heure oh elle peut la recevoir." 

So far have I got. 

In the afternoon I went with D. and looked through 
the Embassy furniture. I forget whether I told 
you that we are going to live in one corner of it till 
the state rooms are refurnished. Our formal recep- 
tion, which introduces us to the society, is to be 
put off till the autumn, by which time the Embassy 
will be swept and garnished. 

Then I went to buy a bonnet to wear with a white 
silk when I am presented to the Grand Duchesses. 
There are a number of these, and each one appoints 
her own day, so it may be months before I have 
done. There is an alarming ceremony to be gone 
through at Court, and I copy out for you the direc- 
tions published for me. 

" Le jour et I'heure de la presentation de Madame 
L'Ambassadrice etant fixes, elle se rend au paiais 
imperial, et vient descendre au perron qui lui est 
indique. Madame I'Ambassadrice y trouve un coureur 
de la cour, et dans la premiere salle les aides des 
ceremonies viennent a sa rencontre et la conduisent 
k la chambre d'attente; elle y est recue par le Grand 
Maitre des c^r^monies. 



10 COURT CEREMONIES [ch. i 

" L'ordre etant donn^ d'introduire Madame rAm- 
bassadrice, elle se rend dans les appartements de sa 
Majeste rimp^ratrice, conduite par le Grand Maitre 
des ceremonies. Le Grand Chambellan prend les 
ordres de sa Majeste Imperiale pour I'introduction de 
Madame I'Ambassadrice. 

" Madame la Grande Maitresse pr^sente Madame 
I'Ambassadrice. Deux demoiselles d'honneur sont 
dans la chambre qui precede la salle d 'audience. 
Ensuite Madame I'Ambassadrice est reconduite avec 
les m^mes formalites qu'a son arrivee." 

And it adds that, after this, I shall be received by 
the Empress like any other lady of the country. 

" Apr^s que Madame I'Ambassadrice a ^t^ pre- 
sentee k sa Majesty Imperiale, elle en informe les dames 
des quatre premieres classes du pays, qui lui font la 
premiere visite." 

The rules for the Ambassador are still more strict. 
The beginning is much the same, but, the day being 
fixed for the Emperor to see him — 

*' Un Maitre des c^r^monies va le chercher dans les 
carrosses de sa Majeste Imperiale. Dans le premier 
se placent les deux A.D.C. Dans le second, L'Ambas- 
sadeur se place seul dans le fond, le Maitre des 
ceremonies vis-a-vis de lui. Troisieme carrosse pour 
la suite de I'Ambassadeur. 

" Si I'Ambassadeur souhaite que son secretaire ou 
un de ses parents soit place dans le carrosse de sa 
Majeste Imperiale cela lui est accorde, mais en 
observant qu'il prenne place au-dessous du Maitre 
des ceremonies, et qu'il n'entre dans le carrosse 
qu'aprfes lui." 

More court people, A.D.C.'s, etc., meet the Am- 
bassador than the Ambassadress. When everything 
is ready, and the Emperor is about to receive him — 



1879] PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF 11 

" L'Ambassadeur ayant le Grand Maitre des cere- 
monies h sa droite, le Maitre des ceremonies a sa 
gauche precede du gentilhomme de la chambre, se 
rend dans les appartements de sa Majeste Imperiale." 
At the door, the " Grand Marechal de la cour " re- 
ceives him, and the " Grand Chambellan se trouve 
en dehors de la porte par laquelle on entre dans la 
salle d 'audience." 

No one enters the room, but the great officials 
stand outside. The Guards present arms to the 
Ambassador ; he is reconducted with the same cere- 
monies. Then he is taken to the Empress, one lady 
being present, and two being outside. 

I thought all this would interest you, and now, 
when the day arrives, I shall only have to tell you 
what I thought of it all, and how I got through such 
an ordeal. 

In the evening I heard from the Countess PratasofF, 
the Grande Maitresse, that she will receive me on 
Thursday at four o'clock, and in the morning D. 
calls upon the Grand Maitre de la Cour, Prince 
Lieven, who will follow D. out of the house, and 
come and call upon us. 

Thursday, 6th. — I went over the Embassy very 
early, and bought a good deal of Lord A. Loftus's 
furniture. On my return I changed my dress and 
awaited visitors. The first who came (unexpectedly, 
as he had called yesterday) was Prince Gortschakoff, 
a charming old man of eighty-four, full of the grossest 
flatteries, expressed- in the most delightful manner. 
He was surprised at my youthful appearance ; he 
thought me like D.'s family. He was sure (he said 
to D.) that although I looked sweet and gentle, I 
was very firm, etc., etc., etc. Then he told me he 
relied on me to help him to keep the peace, and to 
make friends, that he always inquired, when he 
heard a new Ambassador was coming, whether he 



12 THE GRANDE MAITRESSE [ch. i 

had a pretty wife, and that if the answer was " No ! " 
he always said, '* Alors il perd son meilleur argu- 
ment." 

He was in England in 1 816-17, and knew every- 
body, and remembers all the people so well. They 
say here that he is getting feeble, but he certainly 
appeared most vigorous. 

After him came the Greek Minister, whom we 
knew in London, M. Brailas Armeni, and Prince 
P. de Lieven (Grand Maitre des Ceremonies) and 
then came Count Khreptovitch (Grand Chambellan), 
who was an old friend of D.'s, and Count Nesselrode, 
a cosmopolitan Russian, whom we both knew some- 
where, but where I can't remember. 

It was now time for me to go and pay my state 
visit to the Grande Maitresse. D. came with me. 
When calling in Petrograd you take off your cloak 
in the hall, and your own servant takes charge of 
it. At the top of the stairs the servant of the house 
meets you and ushers you in ; this is the same every- 
where . 

I found myself in a long, empty room with a parquet 
floor, opeping into another rather dull and dark 
room, where the ladies were. In the centre was a 
pyramid of dark green plants, another pillar of the 
same was in a window, and these helped very much 
to darken the apartment ; there was a bare round 
table, and a number of cane chairs, and nothing at 
all pretty or comfortable to be seen. 

Countess Pratasoff came forward to meet us. 
With her was a niece ; we four talked away very 
pleasantly ; they were not at all stiff. I find that 
it is to Prince Gortschakoff I have to apply about 
my presentation to the Empress. 

D. went to see a Madame Schouvaloff whom he 
had known before at Nice, and I received a visit 
from Baron and Baroness Jomini. They came to 



1879] THE RUSSIAN BALLET 13 

my rooms by mistake, for no one is supposed to call 
on me yet. 

After dinner we went to the opera to see a ballet 
d'action. The Opera-house is a very fine one, but 
looks a little bare, as there is no cloth or curtains 
about any but the Imperial boxes. 

There is one large box opposite the stage, where 
the Emperor's suite sit, and his own is just like our 
royal boxes. They are trying the Jablockoff electric 
light in the Opera-house. I don't like it at all ; if 
you look at the lamps they dazzle you, the light 
flickers and changes colour, is not so gay as gas, 
and spoils the effect of the chandeliers, which have 
wax candles in them. 

The ballet is a great institution in Russia, the 
dancers all being brought up and cared for by the 
State. This one was called Roxana. The last act 
was really very pretty : all the people wore Monte- 
negrin costumes, and the arrangement of the colours 
and the grouping of the figures were beautiful. One 
dance was performed by small boys and girls ; this 
was encored, and was well worth seeing again. The 
beauty of the corps dramatique is called Petit pas, 
which I thought was a nickname, but it is her real 
Russian one. The best danseuse was brought before 
the curtain four times ; the best part of her acting 
was, I thought, the profound gratitude, and the 
" overwhelmed-with-your-goodness " feeling she ex- 
pressed in her curtseys. 

I am not yet at the end of the dress question. 
So many people seemed surprised at the instructions 
I had received about the dress to be worn at my 
presentation to the Empress, that last night I sat 
down and wrote to the Grande Maitresse, to ask 
her point-blank what it is to be, so now if I am 
wrong I have her letter to show. 

She says," High black dress, coiffure, but no bonnet." 



14 ST. ISAAC'S [CH. I 

Monday, loth. — D. and I accomplished a good deal 
of walking to-day, even did some sightseeing. First 
we made our way to write down D.'s name at the 
Cesarevitch's palace, as " Earl of Dufferin." It is 
the Cesarevitch's birthday, and flags are flying every- 
where. Not having yet presented his credentials, 
D. could not do it officially. 

After this we went to see the "St. Isaac's " Church. 
It is on a grand scale, and is very magnificent, but 
very dark inside. I am curious to see a service there, 
as there is not a seat in the place, and the whole 
space is cut up by enormous pillars. There are a 
great many pictures, and the faithful buy little 
candles at the door, to burn in their honour, and 
bow down to the ground before them. At the back 
of what I suppose to be the altar are some gigantic 
pillars, some of malachite, and some of lapis-lazuli — 
of course these precious stones are veneered over 
iron tubes, but they are unique, and the light is not 
sufficient to accentuate the want of harmony in the 
colours. Between these pillars are life-size (or larger) 
pictures of saints in mosaic. 

The guide took us up some steps to a place behind 
this screen, and opened a door through which I 
was about to walk — ^but he quickly barred the 
passage with his arm (women are not permitted to 
enter), and suggested that I should peep through 
the hinges of the door while D. went in. I saw a 
very large figure of Christ in a stained glass window, 
and a model in gold of the church. 

After this I went to say good-bye to Lady Augustus 
Loftus, and I also settled myself at the Embassy. 

My household consists of a Swiss butler, one 
Russian housemaid, speaking English, one German 
ditto, a Russian chasseur who always goes out with 
the Ambassador, and stands behind his chair at 
dinner, a Russian porter, a footman, a polyglot under- 



1879] WE GO TO COURT 15 

butler, a French cook, five moujiks (who do all 
the work), two servants belonging to the office, and 
our maid and valet, also two laundry-maids. 

D. and I were very glad to find ourselves established 
here, with an open fire, and a sense of peace, after 
the week at the hotel. 

Tuesday, nth. — At one o'clock to-day the Em- 
peror's carriages came to fetch D., and three court 
officials arrived to escort him to the Palace. They 
came up to our room for a little, and I went in to 
see them. D. wore uniform, and everybody looked 
very smart. From the window I saw the proces- 
sion : first came a coach drawn by four black horses, 
the coachman and footmen in scarlet ; the A.D.C.'s 
went in this. Then followed D. and the Maitre des 
Ceremonies in a coach drawn by six white horses, a 
third carriage with four horses followed, and then 
four or five men in scarlet on horseback. 

At two o'clock I started in my own carriage, and 
arrived at the Palace. I walked up the staircase 
alone, and through rows of soldiers, then into 
a great room, in which stood a number of splendidly 
dressed servants. Then a demoiselle d'honneur took 
me into a handsome drawing-room, with red silk 
walls and tables covered with rich cloths. The 
Countess Pratasoff met me here, and we had a little 
time to wait, as D.'s audience with the Emperor was 
not over, and he had to see the Empress before I 
did. Presently he came through the room, and was 
taken in to Her Majesty. 

When he came out my turn came, and here my 
reading of those dreadful rules confused me. I 
entered a room, in which stood a lady in black, all 
by herself. I made a low curtsey, but no one said 
anything, and Countess Pratasoff did not " present " 
me as I expected. The lady said at once, " Sit 
down here a moment," so I made up my mind that 



i6 THE EMPRESS [ch. i 

this was not the Empress, and felt rather ashamed 
of my curtsey. She pointed out the most imposing- 
looking of the chairs to me and began to talk, and 
I to answer her pretty fully. When she said, " You 
saw my daughter the other day, " I felt quite taken 
aback; and she added " the Duchess of Edinburgh," 
so then I knew it was the Empress. My first thought 
was that I had been too familiar ; so I got in " Your 
Majesty " as quickly as I could, and felt very un- 
comfortable. She is remarkably ladylike, but has 
neither the " queenly " way of our Queen, nor of 
the Empress of Germany. When I had been there 
about ten minutes she got up, curtseyed, and went out. 

As I came out Prince Lieven began to apologize 
to me, saying that at the moment he had not been 
able to say my name, so I dare say it was the want 
of some sort of presentation that made me feel un- 
certain that I had actually reached the Empress. 

D. was with the Emperor about forty-five minutes. 
The Imperial carriages brought him back. 

D. being now a full-fledged Ambassador, went off 
at once to visit the Ambassadors, and I to see the 
Ambassadresses. There are only two, the Austrian 
and the German, Countess Langenau and Baroness de 
Schweinitz ; the latter is an American, a Miss Jay ; 
they are both very nice. All the other people have 
to call on me first. 

To-night D. is busy preparing a telegram and a 
despatch. When he writes home about any con- 
versation he has had with the Emperor, the despatch 
has to be submitted to the Emperor to read. The 
whole time of his audience with the Emperor the 
members of the Embassy, and the officers about the 
Court, stood at attention outside, in another room. 

We gave a dinner to our Embassy, Colonel Swaine, 
Mr. Plunkett, First Secretary, Lord William Comp- 
ton, whom D. has made his private secretary, and 



1879I A TROIKA DRIVE 17 

Mr. Condie Stephen, an Attache, who speaks Russian. 
We six were the party, and about ten o'clock we 
followed a custom of the country, and went for a 
troika drive. 

The troika is a large sledge drawn by three horses. 
One horse is in the shafts, and he trots. The other 
two are loosely harnessed on either side of him, and 
the}^ canter. This team goes at a furious pace, and 
the Russian moujik screams out to the horses and 
to the people on the road, " To the right," " To the 
left," etc., etc. The night was lovely, and we had 
a charming drive of about five miles to a sort of 
restaurant, where we alighted, and where we hired a 
sitting-room and some singers. Twenty-two gipsies, 
men and women, were the performers. They were 
all dressed like ourselves, but were very dark and 
Indian-looking. 

They sat in rows before us, three of them having 
guitars, and then they sang lovely wild Russian 
songs ; seven songs and a dance was the bargain. 
The dance was performed by two women, and was 
very peculiar ; it consisted in waving their arms, and 
moving slowly backwards and forwards with a sort 
of trembling motion all over them, which would be 
very difficult to copy. We had some tea " for the 
good of the house," and then drove home, having 
enjoyed the evening immensely. 

Sunday, i6th. — ^We received notices of three audi- 
ences for to-morrow, at twelve, at one, and at four 
o'clock. 

" Le Grand Maitre des Ceremonies a I'honneur 
d 'informer Son Excellence M. le Comte de Dufferin, 
Ambassadeur d'Angleterre, qu'il aura I'honneur d'etre 
re^u par son Altesse Imperiale Monseigneur le Cesare- 
vitch,^ Grand-Due Heritier, demain Lundi le 5 Mars 
^midi." 

^ The Emperor Alexander III. 



i8 THE CESAREVNA [ch. i 

I received the same order for the Cesarevna,^ and 
since then they keep dropping in from other Grand 
Dukes and Grand Duchesses. 

We were at the Palace in good time D. in uniform, 
I in black dress without a bonnet. Several beautiful 
uniforms were waiting, and I should think Prince 
Lieven and the other masters of court ceremonial 
will be very glad when we have finished our rounds, 
as they have to appear at each place. 

We sat in a sort of conservatory room, till we were 
ushered in different directions to our interviews. 
While D. was with the Cesarevitch I went to the 
Cesarevna. She is charming, very sweet and gentle, 
and like our Princess in many ways, though not so 
pretty. I stayed with her some time, and heard 
one of her children playing the piano in the next 
room, with as much incompetence as any un-imperial 
child of its age. I waited as before, while D. saw 
" Marie Feodorovna," which is the proper way to 
speak of Emperors and Grand Duchesses here, and 
this is the Cesarevna's name. 

We were free at ten minutes to one, and then 
D. went to Prince d'Oldenberg, who is, he says, a 
very nice old man. We had some breakfast after 
this, and I received the Belgian Minister's wife and 
daughter. 

At four we had another audience with a widow 
and her daughter, the Grand Duchess Catherine 
Michailovna. Here we were given tea before we 
were admitted. D. and I went in together, and I 
found the audience very long. I sat beside the 
Grand Duchess on a short sofa with a big table in 
front of us, D. on the other side and the young lady 
next him. The chairs were arranged round the 
table, the walls of the room were white with pink 
and mauve lines, a picture and a bust of the late 
* The present Dowager-Empress. 



1879] MORE AUDIENCES 19 

Grand Duke, a big statue of Una and the Lion, large 
glass and gold monuments for candles, etc., placed 
against them; but the staircase of this Palace St. 
Michail is very magnificent, so enormous and so lofty. 

Tuesday, iSth. — Our first audience to-day was at 
the Grand Duke Vladimir's. D. was shown up one 
staircase, and I up another one, and he saw the 
Grand Duke while I saw the Duchess Marie Paolovna, 
such a charming young woman, very pretty and 
very nice. She said she thought we must be very 
much tired with seeing so many of them. When I 
go in I curtsey at the door, then they take my hand, 
and I curtsey again, then they generally make me 
sit either with my face to the light, or on a sofa 
beside them, and we generally talk — Canada. 

I waited with a dame de palais while D. paid his 
visit to the Grand Duchess. Then we proceeded a 
little farther down the quay (where we live ourselves) 
to the palace of the Grand Duke Michael. He is 
away now, and we were received separately by 
** Olga Feodorovna." I liked her very much too ; 
she was so simple and natural and pleasant, and she 
talks English perfectly. 

The Grand Duke Vladimir told D. that he would 
come and see me, so I waited at home to receive him. 
He arrived in a splendid uniform, and is a very 
nice-looking man ; he talked a great deal (which is 
a great comfort) in French, and was very civil with 
good wishes, etc. In the morning the Prince of 
Oldenburg came, a benevolent old man, with a 
mania for abolishing armies. 

Wednesday, igth. — Our audience at one to-day was 
with " Eugenie Maximiliovna," Princess of Olden- 
burg. She received us together, and was very nice. 
In fact, all the Grand Duchesses appear to be 
charming. 

In the afternoon I paid visits as usual, and saw 



20 VISITS AND BALLET [ch. i 

two English families ; one of the ladies looked so 
young that I was on the point of saying to her ** Is 
your mother at home ? " Happily I didn't commit 
myself. 

Thursday, 20th. — ^At 11.30 we had another audi- 
ence, with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess 
Nicholas. They live in a very fine palace with a 
magnificent staircase, and on an enormous easel in 
one room was a very beautiful picture by a j^'oung 
Russian artist, of a sunset light on a bit of wild 
bush. It was very simple, but extremely striking 
and pleasant to look at. I waited while D. was 
with the Grand Duke, and then we went together 
to see the lady " Alexandra Petrovna." We like 
all the Imperial family very much, but I believe 
we shall never see them again, as they only appear 
at the state ceremonials.^ 

This was my " Day," and I sat at home by a tea- 
table and had visitors from about two to six. I 
was not alone for an instant all that time, and gener- 
ally had to keep up the conversation in French. 

Mr. Plunkett and Mr. Condie Stephen dined with 
us, and ^Ye went to see a lovely ballet, La Bayadere. 
In it a young lady received some flowers, but a 
viper which was concealed in them bit her, and she 
died on the stage, denouncing her rival as her mur- 
derer. The rival, during the rest of the piece, was 
always on the eve of being married, and was always 
thwarted by the ghost of the deceased, which kept 
appearing and pirouetting between her and the 
bridegroom, who became quite distracted. Finally, 
there was a great coup de theatre, thunder and light- 
ning, and the sudden destruction of the whole com- 
pany, while in the background the deceased is seen 
in excelsis. 

Friday, 21st. — I managed a walk to-day, and paid 

1 We never did. — H. D. 



1879] DINNER AT ITALIAN EMBASSY 21 

some visits. D. had an audience with the unmarried 
Grand Dukes, and they have given us permission 
to skate in their garden. I received a very civil 
letter about it from the secretary of the Grand Duke 
Serge. The invitation includes my family and all the 
members of the Embassy. 

We dined with M. Nigra, the Italian Ambas- 
sador. As this is my first dinner here, I will tell 
you about it. The great peculiarity is the " Zak- 
huska " (or some such word) of which one partakes 
on the way in to dinner. You start arm-in-arm, as 
usual in England, but you pass through an ante- 
room where a table is spread with caviare, cheese, 
sardines, liqueurs, and all sorts of good things. 
There you let go your gentleman, and everybody 
goes dipping about into these dishes, with a fork or 
with their fingers, eating a bit here and a bit there ; 
then you take arms again and go on in to dinner. 
The table was very nicely arranged, and we had 
pretty menus, and there were a number of fancy 
bonbons on stands, little hats, jockey-caps, etc. 
(which it is quite the fashion for the guests to take 
away with them). I sat between our host, the 
Chevalier Nigra and Baron Jomeni ; the latter is 
Prince Gortschakoff's right-hand man, and he was 
very pleasant. Count Schouvaloff ^ came in the 
middle of dinner, from the Palace, where they dine 
at six, and was put in between me and M. Nigra. 
We all left the dining-room arm-in-arm together, 
and went away at a quarter-past nine. M. de Giers 
came in to see D. on business, and what with that, 
and sending telegrams after he left, D. was busy 
till one o'clock. The business always seems to come 
at night, and sitting up till four in the chancery is 
common. 

Monday, 24th. — I took a constitutional round the 

1 At that time Russian Ambassador in England. 



22 PETROGRAD [ch. i 

gardens, and then set off in my open carriage to pay- 
twelve visits. As I was on my way to the fourth, I 
said to myself, " These pavements are so bad, it 
would never do to have a very good carriage here," 
and a few minutes later off came a wheel, the car- 
riage went down on one side, and the horses set off; 
but happily the united efforts of the coachman and 
footman pulled them in ; we drew up to a pave- 
ment and I got, for the first time, into one of the 
little sleighs they use here, the most uncomfortable 
little machine I ever was in : it has no back at all, 
the high seat is too large for one person, and too 
small for two, the coachman sits on a little bar just 
over your knees, and you feel that both he and you 
are most insecure for rattling over Petrograd streets, 
I met D. as I returned in this humble manner, and 
he lent me his carriage to finish my visits in. 

We dined at the German Embassy with General 
and Madame von Schweinitz. He is much liked by 
the Court and the Russians. I sat between our host 
and Prince Orloff Davidoff, an old gentleman who 
was educated in Edinburgh, had dined with Sir 
Walter, Scott and Moore, and stayed with Miss 
Edgeworth. Our landlord and his very pretty wife. 
Prince and Princess Soltikoff, were there ; she wore 
lots of diamonds, but we are all in black. Then 
there were Baron and Baronne de Budberg (a pretty 
old lad}^). Count and Countess Pahlen, Princess 
Oblonski, who was a great beauty, and who now has 
a sort of political salon. There was also an old 
Madame Bariatinski who has translated some Rus- 
sian poetry into English. I enjoyed the dinner very 
much. 

Tuesday, 2 5 /A. — Mr. Plunkett came in to tell us 
that the chief of the secret police had been shot at 
just round the corner of our house. The assassin 
was on horseback, and the shot went through two 



1879] ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION 23 

windows of the carriage, but happily missed the 
man. He ordered his coachman to follow, but 
came against a sleigh and was stopped, the assassin 
riding on and getting out of sight ; his horse fell 
with him, but he got into a sleigh and drove away. 
The police have the horse, but not the man, and 
this is the second horse they have in custody in the 
same way. General Dreuteln, whom they have thus 
attempted to assassinate, is well known for his cour- 
age, and some time ago a message was sent to him 
saying, " We know you are brave and will persevere 
in your duty whatever we do ; we shall therefore take 
the life of your daughter." However, they have 
made one more attempt to take his. 

I went to skate at the Tauride ; there was one 
young Grand Duke there, " Paul Michaelovitch," 
who was tobogganing. He wanted to take me down, 
but I told him I was afraid. 

Thursday, March 2'jth. — I took a constitutional 
before lunch, and then sat at home all the afternoon 
for visitors. This is rather a fatiguing performance 
when so many of the visitors are unknown to one. 
In the evening we had the new French Ambassador, 
General Chanzy, to dine with us, and Baron Jomini. 
The former was very interesting, as he described to 
us his imprisonment by the Commune, and many 
of his experiences during the war. D. knew him 
very well in Syria. 

Friday, 2Sth. — ^We went to some amateur theatri- 
cals at the Princess Paskevitch's. I was so glad 
to be asked to this, first, because the piece acted 
was Les Pattes de Mouche which we played at 
Ottawa, and, secondly, because the crime de la creme 
of society were there, and I was able to make many 
nice new acquaintances. 

The Princess is an excellent actress, and the 
" Prospere " of the play (Prince John Galitzin) was 
3 



24 THE CZAR [ch. i 

also extremely good in his part. They all speak 
French as their own language, but are perhaps a 
little too fast in their utterance. On the staircase 
of the house are some beautiful panels worked 
by the Princess. There are four large ones repre- 
senting the birds of the four quarters of the globe ; 
a peacock for Europe, an ostrich for Africa, etc., 
and smaller panels of flowers in which the same idea 
is carried out. They are made of satin, the birds 
most beautifully embroidered, and the scenery 
painted on the satin . You can only tell by looking very 
close which part is painting and which embroidery, 
and the feathers of the ostrich, etc., are so fluffy 
and so wonderfully done. She worked them from 
large models before her, and as decorations they are 
most successful. In the centre of one room there 
is an enormous Sevres jar, which is said to be very 
valuable. 

Saturday, 2gth. — D. and I walked in the gardens, 
and we were looking out for the Emperor in order 
to avoid him if we saw him in the distance, but there 
were a number of nurses and children about and we 
came dh him unawares. He stopped and asked D. 
to introduce " him to me," for this is the polite way 
in which he put it, and then he said something to 
me about making my acquaintance " de cette maniere 
un peu originale," and told me to take care of the 
cold, which is treacherous at this time of year, etc. 
He then shook hands, and we left the garden. He 
is tall, his face is thin, and he is suffering a good 
deal from asthma. 

M. and Madame de Langenau dined with us, and 
we took her to the circus. We got out, by mistake, 
at the royal door, and were ushered into the Im- 
perial box, where we sat for some time in great 
state, but the people found us out, and invited us 
to take a lower seat. 



i879l DINNER AT THE PALACE 25 

We are dining at the Palace to-night, but it is 
doubtful if the Empress will be able to appear. 
She is very delicate. 

The dinner at the Palace was at six, so, having 
dressed myself in black, with all my diamonds, 
and D. in evening coat with brass buttons and 
orders, we started off a few minutes before the hour 
for the Winter Palace. When we arrived there we 
passed through soldiers the whole way, and were 
preceded by a servant in red, who turned and bowed 
continually, and then we found ourselves in the 
dining-room. I thought this very odd at first, but 
Prince John Galatzin met us there, and showed us 
where we were to sit, everybody being brought 
through the room to learn their places. He told me 
I was to sit between the Emperor and the " Grand- 
Due Heritier." Then we went on into the drawing- 
room, where we found a brilliant array of uniforms, 
and ladies in black and diamonds. There were 
eighty- two people for dinner. 

I was introduced to several more people, and met 
a great many that I had known before, and then 
the Emperor was announced. He came and spoke 
to me, I was the first of the ladies, and then I was 
presented to the Cesarevitch, and in a few minutes 
we started for the dining-room, the Emperor taking 
in the Cesarevna, I following with the Cesarevitch, 
and D. with the Grande Maitresse. The Empress 
did not appear. All the members of our Embassy 
were there, and General Chanzy and all his staff. 
D. sat on the other side of the Cesarevna. She is so 
like the Princess of Wales, and has all her charm. 

The Emperor is very nice. He talked to me a 
great deal, and is so perfectly simple in his manner 
that he does not alarm one. I always imagined the 
Russian Court to be so stiff, but there appear to me 
to be fewer formalities than at our own. The dinner 



26 DINNER AT THE PALACE [ch. i 

lasted only an hour and five minutes, I got very 
little to eat, for in the first place I don't yet under- 
stand what is coming, and, in the second, when you 
are sitting by an Emperor, and he is talking to you, 
you don't like to turn and help yourself to a great 
dish which is being handed to you, for at these real 
dinners d, la Russe, the joint is carried round and 
you help yourself ; but that takes longer than simply 
nodding to a servant to put the plate down. I 
made a great mistake, however, in saying " No " to 
a big fish. It is called a " sterlet," is very like an 
eel, and is very good and I like it, but for above 
reasons I refused it, and both the Emperor and the 
Grand Duke remarked that I did. It is essentially 
Russian, and of course I felt that I ought to have 
taken some, and could give no available reason for 
not having done so ! Then we all went arm-in-arm 
back to the drawing-room, and the Cesarevna came 
and spoke to me, and I was presented to the Grand 
Dukes Paul and Serge, and the Emperor talked to 
D., General Chanzy, and a few other people, and then 
went away, and we were home about eight. 

April 2nd. — ^We went to our first " Drum." It 
was at Madame Delanoff's, a lady who is particu- 
larly friendly to strangers and diplomats here. As 
we could not go to her till after eleven o'clock, we 
paid an evening visit to Princess Paskevitch first. 
She is always " at home " after dinner. Prince 
Paskevitch is a great collector of arms, china, etc., 
and we found them in a lovely room, a long gallery, 
the walls covered with swords and daggers, bucklers, 
old harness, and other beautiful things, precious 
cabinets, one or two good pictures, and a vase for 
which he has been offered fabulous sums. It is a 
shell supported by figures beautifully moulded in 
silver. One other gentleman came in, and then we 
went off to our party. 



1 



i879l STRICT ETIQUETTE 27 

We had a visit from the Chinese Ambassador. He 
came in a beautiful yellow jacket, and was accom- 
panied by two interpreters and a secretary. We 
gave them tea, but they accepted our suggestion 
that they should not drink it if they did not like it, 
and after a spoonful or two they seemed glad to 
put it down. 

At half-past six we dined with M. and Madame 
Due — ^there were only a few people, but a very good 
dinner, as our hosts pay great attention to the sub- 
ject, and understand " forming " a cook. D. had 
to go and see Gortschakoff directly after, and I was 
brought home by one of the guests. 

Monday, yth. — In the morning I had a visit from 
Countess Adleberg, a Minister's wife, and I found 
out that, after all my struggles to follow the strictest 
etiquette, I ought to call upon the Ministers' wives 
first. I have asked the question over and over 
again, as I thought it so odd they had not called on 
me, though very civil when they met me. It now 
appears that, after discussion, they decided that, as 
I had not had the " official reception," I should call 
first on them, but, as they sent me no notification of 
the fact, it was impossible for me to know it. 

Wednesday, gth. — D. was very busy all day, and 
only had a bit of a walk with me on the boards in 
the garden. We were just about to meet the Em- 
peror again, but I saw him coming, and turned 
quickly round. 

I afterwards saw him leave the gardens. A few 
boys in uniform, who happened to be there, drew 
up at the gate, and, as he passed, he spoke to the 
first one, then he got into a very plain, I may say, 
shabby victoria, driven by one of the common and 
badly dressed coachmen, and drove off, with no 
footman or other attendant. There was a police 
officer outside the gate while the Emperor was in 



28 CHURCH SERVICES [ch. i 

the garden, but when he left, the officer drove off 
in his " buggy." The dress of the coachmen at this 
time of the year is a dark-blue cloth gown lined 
with fur, and with a little silk band round the waist, 
and a hat ! Oh, such a hat ! It is a short tall- 
hat, bent up and twisted and curled like a caricature 
of a Frenchman's chimney-pot. My Jehu wears 
gold stripes on his broad back, which show that 
mine is a diplomatic carriage, and the chasseur's 
plumes show that it is an Ambassador's carriage ; 
but one can't be puffed up with pride with such a 
back, and such a costume to look at, so very ugly 
and tawdry. 

Thursday, loth. — As this was " my day," I did 
not go out. General G. brought his daughter to see 
me. He began by reproaching me with not having 
been to church the last three days. Did I not 
belong to the Church ? Why had I not been ? 
He goes every day in Passion Week, but not at any 
other time of the year. The rest of the year he has 
not time, and so he looks in at the services of the 
" Orthodox Church " (Greek) in the chapel in his 
own house. This he told me with perfect good faith. 
Church twice a day (with supper after the second 
service) during Passion Week, and a very modified 
attendance to religious services at other times. This 
General is descended from a Scotch family, and 
imagines himself to belong to our Church. 

Good Friday, nth. — Our clergyman seems to have 
other members of his congregation who devote them- 
selves to church this one week only, for he warned 
them against this system in his sermon to-day. He 
told me General G. comes to church three times, 
twice in undress uniform to signify that he is " in 
training," the third time in full dress to take the 
Communion, and there it ends, so far as our Church 
is concerned, till next year. In the afternoon D. 



1879] A GREEK CATHEDRAL 29 

and I w«nt into the Kaizan Church, a Greek Cathedral. 
There are no seats in any of the Orthodox Churches, 
and there are always great pillars, so that the church 
looks more like a big hall than a church. The people 
prostrate themselves in front of the pictures, with 
their foreheads touching the ground, and then kiss 
the frame. There is a miraculous Virgin in this 
church, covered with precious stones, and a stream 
of people passes before her, kissing her ; they also 
buy little candles at the door and stick them into 
stands prepared for the purpose in front of the image 
they wish to honour. On this day there was a 
coffin lying in state, which is, I believe, carried in 
during the night, and there were crowds of people 
round, kissing particular parts of it. In several 
parts of the church screens were put up, and wor- 
shippers with unlighted candles in their hands were 
passing in behind these. There are fifty-six pillars 
in this church, all monoliths of Finland granite, and 
the keys of many fortresses, and flags taken in war, 
are hanging up round the walls. 

Saturday, April 12th. — ^Mr. Grosvenor, a son of Lord 
Ebury's, who has made a journey right through 
China, arrived here as Secretary of Embassy. He 
breakfasted with us, as well as Mr. Condie Stephen, 
and in the evening we had the whole of our Embassy 
to dinner. At eleven we went to St. Isaac's Church, 
to see Easter begin. A space within the altar rails 
was kept for the Diplomatic corps, and we had seats. 
The congregation stood. When we arrived the 
building was very dimly lighted. It was quite 
crowded, and nothing happened till about ten 
minutes to twelve, when a little movement began 
amongst the priests. Three stood on a platform in 
the middle of the church, and there was some chant- 
ing. Then the great doors of the Holy Place were 
opened behind the altar, and some more splendid 



30 EASTER EVE [ch. I 

priests came out, and began to search for the Body 
of our Lord. Finally they retired behind the doors 
till twelve, when the church was lighted up — every 
individual in the crowd had a taper, which he lighted, 
so that the effect of these stars all over the building 
was very pretty. The chandeliers were lighted in a 
clever way : a cotton thread is tied round the wicks 
of all the candles, and a long end hangs down, that 
is lighted, and the fire flies up to the candles, and 
burns its way along the thread, lighting the wicks 
as it passes along. 

These do not, however, light the building bril- 
liantly enough ; it would be magnificent if lighted by 
gas. The announcement that " Christ has risen " 
had not as great an effect as I expected. Their joy- 
ful music is not very different from their doleful ; it 
is monotonous, and there is no organ to sustain the 
voices. One priest after another walks round to all 
the great pictures and bows to them, and swings 
incense over them and over the congregation, and 
one wonders how the older men can stand so many 
hours of bowing and chanting after their Lenten 
fasts. The priest kissed several soldiers and all the 
choir, three kisses each, and then he began to read 
out of a book ; but we left, as the most interest- 
ing part of the ceremony was over. The congregation 
crossed themselves continually. They must have 
felt faint with standing. The priests look strange 
with their long hair. We only got home about two 
o'clock, and then lOO guns were fired in honour of 
the day. 

Easter Sunday. — Church. I did nothing else, but 
D. had certain visits which have to be paid on this 
day, and he was out all the afternoon. 

Monday, 14th. — ^The first thing I heard this morn- 
ing was that when the Emperor was walking round 
the Palace, as he always does at nine o'clock, he was 



i879l ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION 31 

shot at four times. The report comes through the 
servants, and they say that he is not touched, and 
that the men are taken. How fearful these attempts 

at assassination are ! 

I 

The report is too true, and every one is full of it. 
The man actually shot at the Emperor five times 
without even touching his clothes. He passed the 
Emperor and saluted him, and the Emperor says 
that he thought to himself, " How easily that man 
could kill me if he chose." Then he heard the shot ; 
he went off the pavement and dodged as the shots 
were fired ; some say a woman seized the man, 
and some say that a soldier hit him on the head. A 
policeman had his face grazed by one shot, and the 
Emperor was put into a caleche standing by, and 
was driven home. He suffers from asthma, and was 
very much out of breath at first. The news flew 
round the town, and all the Russians jumped into 
uniform, and rushed to the Palace, where there was 
immediately a thanksgiving service, and the Imperial 
Family saw every one afterwards. All the houses 
put out flags, and we had the Russian and English 
ones flying on ours. 

In the afternoon I was out walking with D., and 
I looked round and saw the Emperor passing us in a 
carriage. He called out twice " Bon jour. Milord." 
He was going round the town to show himself ; poor 
man ! is it not horrible to be subject to such excite- 
ments ? The assassin was very sick afterwards, and 
at first they thought he had taken poison ; but now 
they think it was from the blow he received on his 
head. They say he expressed great regret at the 
failure of his plan. I saw the Schouvaloffs and 
M. de Giers, all very much upset about this. 

Tuesday, i $th. — ^The assassin did take poison, but 
the antidotes were effective, and he is better. They 



32 A CONCERT [ch. i 

say he has been doctor and schoolmaster, and was 
educated at the expense of the Grand Duchess 
Helene. 

In the evening we went to our first smart party. 
It was a little concert, and what time do you suppose 
we got home ? At ten minutes to three ! 

It was at Baron Steiglitz's house. It is the finest I 
have seen here ; a marble staircase, and a drawing- 
room done with blue silk (which, by the way, killed 
my gown), and then a white concert room with flowers 
arranged in it. The music began about eleven, and 
there was a great fuss made over a pianist, who broke 
one wire in the piano, and ought to have broken 
them all, I should think. She was given three 
beautiful bouquets. I wanted to see the whole 
course of a party here, so I stayed on till the end, 
the finale being a sitting supper. 

It would all have been very nice if the hours were 
reasonable. As my place in Petrograd is third after 
the Grand Duchesses, I am always in the front places. 
No. I is Madame de Langenau, the Austrian Ambas- 
sadress, who is doyenne of the Corps Diplomatique, 
having been here the longest. In this instance the 
front place meant a great deal too near the music. 
The German Ambassadress does not go out much. 

Thursday f lyth. — D. assisted at my " At Home"; 
we had rather a pleasant afternoon, people coming 
in an agreeable way. 

I think I told you that there was a question raised 
as to whether I should call upon the Ministers' wives 
first, or they on me. The minute I heard there was 
a doubt about it I determined to go to them, but this 
led both them and me into a difficulty. I was told 
that there was one I must not go to, as no one visits 
her, not even Russians, as she is not sufficiently 
noble by birth ; but I replied that I had been pre- 
sented to her at Court, and that if I was to make 



1879] ^ A CHARITY BAZAAR 33 

the first visit I must certainly go and see her. I 
did, and she came yesterday, and received a most 
insolent bow from one of the guests, while a much 
nicer lady shook hands with her, which I was very 
glad of. 

It appears I have got another undesirable acquaint- 
ance (this time morally unsuitable) and I am told 
that to her I must simply jeter des cartes. 

Friday, iSth. — I had promised to sell at a bazaar 
given for the German poor, in the house of the Ger- 
man Ambassador. He and his wife are away, so 
Madame de Langenau took most of the trouble. I 
went there and found tables laid out in five or six 
rooms. My duties were at the tea-table, and, as 
the food and the flowers were presents, they made 
the most money, whereas everything else came from 
shops and only made a percentage. 

Many people came with a certain sum, and spent 
it anyhow ; for instance, Baron Steiglitz gave me 100 
roubles (;^io) for a sandwich. With little generosities 
of this kind we made 400 roubles (;£4o) in the after- 
noon. There was a band playing, and I found it 
rather amusing. 

Saturday, igth. — In the morning I saw a little 
about the furnishing of the Embassy, and later went 
again to the bazaar. My doubtful friend appeared 
on purpose to bring me two sovereigns for a 
cup of tea ! Will it be possible to jeter des cartes 
after this ? To-day we made 600 roubles . The 
weather was lovely, and every one says the Neva is 
going to break up. 

Sunday, 20th. — A new sensation ! When I looked 
out of my window yesterday evening a sheet of flat, 
dirty-looking ice lay before me, this morning a 
splendid river flows by my windows with not a scrap 
of ice to be seen, a blue sky overhead, and a bright 
sun I It is perfectly wonderful the rapidity with 



34 EDUCATION [ch. i 

which this change takes place, and I am only sorry 
that the ice passed away in the night. There is 
generally a great ceremony about opening the Neva. 
The Governor goes forth in a state barge, surrounded 
by thousands of boats, and carries a letter to inform 
the Emperor of the good news ; but for some reason 
or other, there was not much show to-day, only a 
great excitement, and crowds of people along the 
quays. I can't tell you how delightful this sudden 
promise of summer is . At church there was a thanks- 
giving for the safety of the Emperor. 

Monday, 21st. — ^There is nothing that surprises 
me as much here as the education the Russians give 
their children. I was talking of it to a lady yester- 
day, and she said, " You know the one thing that I 
do insist upon with a governess is, that she shall 
teach nothing," because, she says, " I may have a 
very nice woman, and I may like her very much, 
but I may not like her teaching, and if once she has 
begun to give lessons I can't stop her." They have 
very expensive English governesses and tutors to 
live in the house to teach English, and then masters 
by the hour for every other subject. I know of a 
tutor who lives in the house for a boy of eleven, 
superintends his preparation for other masters, gets 
3,000 roubles per annum, and has his journeys paid 
home for a holiday. One lady told me her son's 
education cost her 12,000 roubles a year, and we 
think Eton expensive with board, lodging, and 
clothes, for ;{^300 ! The boys have no amusements ; 
only a walk and a few gymnastics for exercise. 

Tuesday, 22nd. — Spent some time with the archi- 
tect, received a visitor, and went to pay a number 
of visits, finding several people in. 

D. dined with the Prince d 'Oldenburg, who, of 
course, made a speech about his hobby, universal 
peace. 



i879l NIHILIST PLOTS 35 

There is a great deal going on in the way of anti- 
revolutionary measures here. Every householder 
has to put extra guards on to his house — ^to declare 
the names of occupants, etc. Every individual 
possessing arms has to declare them ; and we spent 
the evening in a house the walls of which are decorated 
with ancient swords and guns, of which the owner 
had sent in a list that morning. 

Thursday, 24th. — ^We are still talking here of the 
attempt on the Emperor's life, and of the arrests, 
and measures taken to discover the Nihilists. All 
along the streets you see a row of sleepy men crouch- 
ing into their great sheepskin coats. These are the 
new watchmen set upon every house, and they have 
a most absurd effect. 

An officer was tried and condemned to death this 
week. Among his comrades he was considered a 
very quiet, inoffensive man, but the moment he was 
taken he became most violent. He shot one man, 
tried to stab others, and was overcome with diffi- 
culty. At his trial he jumped a barricade, and, being 
taken again, he began to roar, so that he had to be 
removed to a dungeon. He has appealed against 
his sentence. Among his papers all sorts of direc- 
tions for assassinations, etc., were discovered, and 
they say he was to have killed the Emperor. 

I think I told you of a girl who walked into a 
party at Moscow and shot a man. They say that 
her victim had been designated to shoot the Em- 
peror, but that he fled from Petrograd to avoid 
doing it, and that the girl was sent after him to 
punish him. These stories, and every one's opinion 
upon them, form our whole conversation here, 
occasionally lightened by a little local gossip. 

Tuesday, 2gth. — D. and I went to look at the 
Gymnastic Establishment. It is for active and 
passive exercise ; they are greatly recommended by all 



36 GREEK CHURCH SERVICE [ch. i 

the doctors. It is a very curious place to see. The 
room looks more like a flax-mill than anything else, 
being full of machinery, a great deal of which is 
worked by steam. They undertake to exercise every 
muscle in your body in the easiest and least fatiguing 
way. In one chair you sit, and are given in two minutes 
the same amount of exercise that you would take 
in 200 steps and another gives you the same move- 
ments of muscles as you would have on horseback, 
etc. You put your foot or your hand into a machine, 
and find it suddenly being twisted and turned and 
moved in various directions by steam. Several 
little girls and some fat old ladies were there. 

May 1st. — ^A very wintry first of May. The Neva 
again covered with ice, which is coming down from 
Lake Ladoga. In the morning the sun was shining 
pleasantly and D. and I went to the Hermitage. 
Outside there are eight gigantic figures in grey 
marble holding up the portico ; they are very fine 
indeed, and on entering there is a grand staircase. 
The Hermitage contains an immense collection of 
pictures, but we had only just time to walk round, 
and we "did not find our way to the lower floor where 
there are statues and Egyptian things. 

Sunday, 4th. — I went with Madame Schouvaloff 
to the chapel in the Palace for the Greek Church 
service. The singing was lovely, the chapel very 
empty. The priests wore dark blue velvet much 
embroidered in silver. The Gospel and Epistle were 
read, the former by a priest, the latter by one of the 
choir. I remarked to Madame Schouvaloff that the 
Epistle was not read by the priest, and she implied 
a very decided " Of course not." I don't know why. 
I intended to make up for neglecting my own church 
by going there in the evening, but I walked and 
failed to find it. It is an ordinary door in a row, 
and I looked into several and asked several Russian 



1879] A WEDDING 37 

porters ; but, as we could not understand each other, 
I did not succeed in my quest. After the morning 
service we walked through some interesting portrait 
galleries in the Palace ; there is a great deal to see 
there, but we must go some day with plenty of 
time to spend over it. 

Friday, May gth. — I have to write rather in a hurry 
just before going to bed, and after a tiring day. I 
have been busy from the moment I got up . First of 
all I did a good deal of business about the house, as 
we leave for England to-morrow, and I, at any rate, 
do not return till the autumn. 

In the midst of my arrangements one of the court 
officials came and asked me if I would like to see 
his wedding at two o'clock; so I went. The chapel 
was square, and on one side stood the husband's 
friends, on the other the bride's. The moment she 
reached the door a beautiful chant was sung. Then 
the couple stood together, and the priest gave them 
each a lighted candle to hold, which they retained 
throughout the service. It was long, and there was 
a great deal of reading, the remarkable parts of the 
ceremony being the following : A strip of satin is 
put down in front of the couple, on which they stand. 
They both put rings on their right hands, a glass of 
wine is given them, out of which they drink in 
turns three times, the priest holding it ; the bride- 
groom's moustache being a great difficulty. Then 
crowns are held over their heads by the best men, 
whose office is no sinecure ^ They got very tired and 
had to take it in turns and change arms, etc. They 
also had to follow the couple and the priest three 
times round the church, still holding up the crowns. 
The service is very interesting to see, and the sing- 
ing was very good. The bride was pretty, and, after 
shaking hands with her, I rushed away to finish off 
my adieux. 



38 TSARSKOE-SELOE [ch. i 

D. took me to see Prince Gortschakoff, who was 
very charming, and gave me his photograph. 

In the evening Baron Jomini came and stayed a 
long time. He is very agreeable, and speaks beau- 
tiful French, a language he is said to know better 
than Russian. 

Saturday, loth. — We are off ! ! The Langenaus, 
General Chanzy, and suites came to say good-bye at 
the station. 

[Lord Dufferin returned to Petrograd in June. 
The following are a few extracts from his letters to 
me during his absence. — H. D.] 

July loth, 1879. — It being a fine day, yesterday 
I determined to go off to Tsarskoe-Seloe and see the 
Schouvaloffs. They were very glad to see me, and 
ordered out their carriage and drove me through 
the park, or rather, round the succession of parks 
that surround the cluster of palaces inhabited by the 
several members of the Royal Family. 

Tsarskoe seemed to me a dull place. The villas, 
and the grounds which surround them, being very 
large, give a gloomy and desolate appearance to the 
localifey. The parks also, though nicely laid out and 
well kept, have the air of green dullness, such as 
Irish demesnes so often wear. There was a lake in 
the Emperor's park, on whose banks were congre- 
gated a collection of all the different kinds of boats 
that have been invented by the various nations and 
tribes of the universe. 

July ijth. — ^To-day I have been on an expedition, 
not a very prosperous one, as the weather was 
miserable, cold, and wet. 

Grosvenor and I, with a certain Baron Koehne of 
the Hermitage, went off to Peterhof to see palaces 
and the pictures inside them. We had agreed to 
go by sea, and to return by land. In about twenty 
minutes we were in comparatively open water, and 



1879] PETERHOF 39 

I should think there would be many an occasion on 
which the passengers would be very ill. Even as 
it was, with the wind off the land, it was rather jumpy. 
We saw Cronstadt on our starboard bow, and the 
masts of what, I suppose, were ships of war. After 
a traversee of about an hour and a quarter we 
arrived at our destination. The parks and garden 
which surround Peterhof and the neighbouring 
palaces are very pretty with avenues, fountains, 
statues, and other adornments. Peter the Great 
seems to have had a fancy for building to himself 
a little miniature palace on every spot that took 
his fancy. The first we visited was Mon Plaisir, 
which is kept pretty much as he left it. It is close 
to the shore, and is on the same plan as Sans 
Souci at Potsdam. 

Then we visited a house which I believe is called 
the Farm. It is the private habitation of the Em- 
peror when he goes to Peterhof, and both inside and 
outside has the appearance of a handsome Isle of 
Wight villa, with some modern French pictures, and 
a good many family photographs. 

Then we went to the Cottage, another villa where 
the Cesarevitch has his abode. We finished off with 
the Palace of Peterhof. In this there were some 
magnificent rooms, a splendid dining-room, and ball- 
room ; but the most curious thing was a hall, whose 
walls are covered as closely as they can be stuck 
together, as though upon a screen, with oil portraits 
of all the beauties whom the artist could lay his 
hands on. Not, indeed, that they are very pretty. 
They are in every attitude, and display every pos- 
sible expression, some crying, some laughing, some 
sentimental, some coquettish. Each picture being 
only separated from its neighbour by a narrow wooden 
band, the effect was very unpleasing, like that of 
a nightmare. No repose, and no breadth of colour. 
4 



40 CRONSTADT [ch. i 

Attached to the Palace is a chapel, where they 
showed me the keys of Tashkend, a Central Asian 
city recently conquered by the Czar's troops. They 
must find the climate very different from what they 
are accustomed to, and, to show their spite, have 
already begun to rust. 

I forgot to mention that in one of Peter the Great's 
little pleasure palaces there was a table which 
mounted by machinery from the kitchen below to 
the dining-room above. The plates, or rather, the 
centre of the table, performed this evolution. Each 
plate did the same, and its owner had in front of 
him a string, which pulled a bell, and, as each bell 
had a different note, the cook always knew which 
of the guests it was that wanted his plate changed. 

Petrograd, July iSth. — ^This morning I went on an 
expedition with Count Lutka, his wife, and some 
other men to see the imperial yacht at Cronstadt. 
Fortunately it did not rain, though the sky was 
very much overcast. It took about an hour and a 
half to reach the quay at Cronstadt, which is a pretty 
big one at the head of the gulf. The wind being 
easterl3» off the land, we had a smooth passage, but 
it is sometimes so rough that the steamboats dare 
not put to sea. The yacht is a tidy enough vessel, 
not so fine as the Osborne as a ship, but very com- 
fortably arranged, airy, sweet, and clean. We after- 
wards went on board a corvette which had just 
returned from Japan, the captain of which showed 
us the photographs of a number of Japanese ladies, 
which were rather interesting. Then we took a turn 
round the harbour in a steam launch, passing round 
a couple of turret-ships, and one or two torpedo- 
boats, and so back to dinner on board the royal 
yacht. 

July 2Sth. — ^All the morning I sat with M. de 
Giers over a map, and the Asiatic boundary of 



1879] FETE IN THE SUMMER GARDENS 4! 

Turkey. Then I wrote some telegrams, and at five 
o'clock started off on a dinner expedition to Mr. 
Clark, who lives on the way to Peterhof. He is an 
old-established English merchant, he and his family 
having lived at Archangel for three generations. 
The rest of the company consisted of Schweinitz, the 
Danish Secretary, Grosvenor, and one or two sons 
of the house, and a pleasant Russian General. 
Schweinitz was rather interesting, telling us stories 
about old General Moltke and the Austro-Prussian 
War, in which he took part. 

One day, at a Council of War, another General 
objected to a suggestion of Moltke 's on the ground 
that it was dangerous, upon which Moltke said reflec- 
tively, " Yes, yes, war is a dangerous thing, a very 
dangerous thing." 

July 2Sth. — Yesterday was a beautiful day, bright 
sun and nice fresh, dry wind. After breakfast, I 
sent for a horse and went out for a ride. They gave 
me a wretched, tumble-down creature, and I expected 
every moment he would be on his knees ; but, with 
all that, I enjoyed the ride very much. The roads 
and lanes were crowded with people in holiday cos- 
tume, and as most of them wore cotton prints, pink 
or white, every place looked gay. There are a great 
diversity of rides and park-like drives among the 
islands. Indeed, I lost myself going home, thanks 
to a policeman who would not understand my 
Russian. 

In the afternoon there was a fete and fancy fair 
under the auspices of Countess Adlerberg, held in 
the Summer Gardens. I went there for an hour in 
the afternoon, and again for another hour after 
dinner. The place was crowded, and there were 
bands in every corner. A Punch and Judy Show, 
and I believe the gipsies, although I did not come 
across them. But what was rather interesting was 



42 ORANIENBAUM [ch. i 

a lot of soldiers, who, standing round in a small 
circle, kept singing the whole time what I suppose 
were national airs. They were all in the minor key, 
and, consequently, pleased my unsophisticated ear. 
Towards the end of the singing one of them got a 
tambourine and began beating on it, whilst another 
danced. I have a good deal of business on hand 
for to-day. 

August 8th. — In the afternoon I went off to the 
Grand Duchess Catherine at Oranienbaum. On 
arriving at the station one of her gentlemen came to 
meet me, and asked whether I had brought a servant 
with me. This caused me rather a shock, as I had 
come in a frock-coat, and it looked as if they had 
expected me to dress. However, I told him " No," 
and that I hoped my not having on a wedding 
garment would be excused. We then drove up to 
the Palace, and they turned me into a little suite 
of rooms where, for want of something better to do, 
I washed my hands, then the carriage came round 
again to the door, and I was driven off to a smaller 
palace, which is the residence of the Grand Duchess. 
This i!^ really a very pretty place, the prettiest of 
all the palaces I have seen, and used to be inhabited 
by Catherine before she became Empress. All the 
decorations are in the rococo style, and in good 
preservation . 

After dinner we went into the garden, where there 
was a lawn- tennis court ; none of them could play, 
but I taught them as well as I could, and showed 
them how to strike the ball. We then drove in 
carriages round the park, and eventually adjourned 
to the terrace of the big palace, where we had tea, 
and after tea we played at intellectual games. 

August i2th, 1879. — I was sorry I could only 
manage one little line to you yesterday. I hope 
you will not be disappointed ; the reason was that 



1879] KRASNOE 43 

I was all day on horseback, engaged in military- 
pursuits, 

Sunday afternoon, I went to Tsarskoe and dined 
with the Schouvaloffs, and late in the evening I 
drove to Krasnoe like a Roman Emperor, sitting in 
a car with four horses harnessed abreast. I arrived 
about eleven, and found a charming bedroom and 
ante-room, and a quantity of servants awaiting to 
receive me, including Nowell, whom I had sent on 
straight from Petrograd by an earlier train. The 
house is a handsome villa which has been built ex- 
pressly for the reception of Ambassadors on these 
occasions, and all my colleagues are as well accom- 
modated as myself. I immediately went to bed, 
and slept till eight. 

Next morning Nowell came with a little dejeuner 
of tea and rusks. At nine I was dressed, and found 
a carriage waiting to take me to the place where 
our chargers had been sent on to, a couple of miles 
off. On arriving at the spot I found a brilliant staff 
of about a couple of hundred officers in every variety 
of uniform, as well as the representatives of two or 
three other European Armies, who had been sent by 
their respective Governments to assist at the Russian 
manoeuvres. In about half an hour we saw the 
Emperor's caleche approaching in the distance, upon 
which we formed two lines, the foreign contingent 
on the one side and the staff on the other. As soon 
as the Emperor had mounted we followed in his 
wake, until we reached a great plain of undulating 
turf, five or six miles long and as many broad. The 
morning was devoted to the inspection of the cavalry, 
of which there were about five or six thousand under 
arms. I will not describe their evolutions ; it is suffi- 
cient to say, nothing could be more beautiful than 
the way in which they alternately massed themselves 
into columns, spread out into line, changed their 



44 THE MANOEUVRES [ch. i 

front, and charged their imaginary foes ; but there 
was one thing very remarkable — each regiment was 
mounted upon horses of a uniform colour and 
shade, black, bay, and grey. This gave an additional 
glory to their appearance. In the centre of the 
plain is a small truncated portion of earth, on 
whose top the Emperor eventually took up a posi- 
tion. They had given me a very quiet horse, with 
a good mouth and easy paces, so that I had no bother 
no matter what noise or disturbance was taking 
place around me, and, as I had already known a 
great number of the officers, there was always some- 
body near at hand for me to talk to. When the 
whole thing was over the Emperor rode up to 
each regiment in turn, and expressed his approval, 
upon which the entire regiment sang out in 
reply, " We thank you very much, we hope to 
do better next time.'' This sentence is taught 
them, and these interchanges of compliments 
were repeated several times during the day's 
proceedings. 

About twelve the show was concluded, and we 
got into our carriage and drove back to Krasnoe. 
Next to our villa, there is a large hall where we all 
lunched. Prince Galitzin was the one who did the 
honours. After lunch every one retired to their 
respective quarters, the Russian officers to sleep ; 
but I had my mail to attend to, which kept me so 
busy that half -past three o'clock, the hour named 
for our getting on horseback, again overtook me 
before I had time to write to you. 

We again got into our carriages and drove to the 
same place, but this time it was to witness some 
artillery and rifle- target practice. Naturally this 
performance was less lively than what we had already 
seen, nor from a professional point of view was it 
so satisfactory, as the shooting was certainly bad. 



1879] THE MANOEUVRES 



45 



We got home just in time to wash our hands before 
dining with the Emperor. Indeed, I was a httle 
late, and everybody had already sat down before I 
reached his house, but it did not matter, as the 
etiquette is not strict on these occasions. In the 
evening I went to the theatre, and for the first time 
witnessed a Russian play; it was a farce, and the 
story was easy enough to understand, the acting 
being decidedly good. After the farce there was a 
very pretty ballet, the result being that we did not 
get to bed before half-past twelve. 

This morning I was called at six and dressed by 
seven, ratthng off, as before, in a carriage to the 
rendezvous, for the horses. The programme of the 
day was even more splendid than yesterday's per- 
formance. 

The entire force, horse, foot, and artillery, was 
arranged in two divisions with a view of attacking 
an imaginary enemy. Our Hne of battle must have 
been seven or eight miles wide. At first the right 
wing advanced its artillery to some convenient 
heights, and, after blazing away for half an hour, we 
hurled our cavalry at the foe ; but the attack was 
repulsed, and both guns and dragoons had to retire. 
Soon after, however, the left wing commenced its 
advance. Nothing could have been prettier than to 
see the several batteries discover themselves among 
the woods in the far distance, by their unexpected 
puffs of white smoke. Indeed, the way in which 
the whole field of vision became imperceptibly 
peopled with battalions was extraordinary. Catch- 
ing first a head here and then another there, in 
the short brushwood before us you gradually 
perceived, as the eye wandered on, that the place was 
alive with scattered pelotons of tirailleurs, then whole 
regiments advancing in loose formation, wave upon 
wave, round two-thirds of the vast arena, while the 



46 THE MANOEUVRES [ch. i 

distant horizon became fringed with thunder, smoke, 
and fire. 

At the commencement we took up a position in 
an old redoubt where the enemy was supposed to 
be making a stand, and from this point of vantage 
we watched our foes gathering round us nearer and 
nearer, until, with a wild rush, thousands of men 
shouting at the top of their voices, cleaving the open 
space which lay between the cover and the bastion, 
before we knew what had happened, were in 
amongst us. It was very beautiful, but this was a 
mere outwork that was captured. We then retired 
with the Emperor, and all his staff, to the same 
mound he had occupied the day before. This time 
he asked us to come up and stand beside him, and 
then if possible the spectacle became even more 
striking. The artillery from all sides approached 
nearer and nearer, the two corps of infantry, into 
which the army had originally been divided, drove 
down upon us in a joint attack, and at last, dashing 
through the intervals of the regiments, the light 
brigade on one side, the heavy dragoons on the 
other ^ide, the entire cavalry charged simultaneously 
upon the flying foe. This last performance was really 
splendid. There must have been from six to seven 
thousand horsemen engaged in the operation, and 
the rapid movement of such warriors, their breast- 
plates and helmets glittering in the sun, with the 
shouts of their commanders, produced an effect which 
it is impossible to describe. 

This concluded the day's doings. We descended 
from our eminence, mounted our horses, and followed | 
the Emperor, while he expressed his approval, in the 
same manner as I have already described, to his 
various battalions, and then drove back to lunch 
in the same way as the day before. 

August 14th. — I wrote you a very shabby letter 



i879l A MILITARY STEEPLECHASE 47 

this morning, but when I tell you what I did yester- 
day, you will better understand the reason. 

All the morning I was engaged in knocking off 
the arrears of business which had accumulated while 
I was away campaigning, and it was not until five 
o'clock that I was able to start by the train to 
Krasnoe, where I was invited by the Emperor to 
attend the Military Steeplechase. When I reached 
the spot I found a concourse of people, which really 
reminded me of Ascot, and I very much regretted I 
had not got away earlier. There was a row of very 
handsome and convenient stands filled with people, 
and the scene looked very gay and lively ; all the 
officers, being in uniform, contributed a good deal 
more colour to the picture than we can boast of on 
a similar occasion in England. As soon as the 
Emperor caught sight of me in the crowd, he sent 
an aide-de-camp down to ask me to go up into his 
own box. I do not know, however, but that I should 
have seen more if I had been elsewhere, as one was 
scarcely at liberty to put oneself in the best place. 
There were only one or two falls, but, just as the 
horses passed the Emperor's stand, two of them 
swerved, and their riders were pulled off their backs 
by ropes which lined that part of the course. How- 
ever, nobody was a bit the worse. 

This finished the affair, and I then went off to dine 
in the great hall, where I had already dined the two 
previous days with the officers of the Emperor's 
staff. 

After dinner we went to the theatre, where we had 
rather an amusing play, which I was able, with some 
little assistance from my neighbours, to follow 
pretty closely, and there was an excellent ballet. 
The performance was not over till past twelve, and 
when we got to the station we had to wait for 
another hour until the ballet-dancers and actresses 



48 A DAY'S SHOOTING [ch. i 

had changed their things and got some supper. It 
was amusing to see them all arrive accompanied by 
devoted friends in uniforms, carrying the enormous 
bouquets with which they had been presented on 
the stage. 

To-day I have been very busy getting off my 
courier, and sweeping up all my outstanding corre- 
spondence. To-morrow I am invited again to go to 
the wars. What are called the great manoeuvres are 
now about to begin . They are to consist of the siege 
of Tsarskoe by one force, and its defence by another. 
The Neva is to be crossed, and I daresay there will 
be a good deal that is interesting. 

August i$th. — I have just returned from a day's 
shooting with M. Paulotsoff who called for me at 
eight in the morning, and drove me out to a little 
villa just beyond the island. We then each got 
into a cart, he going one way and I another. After 
rather a bumpy drive of half an hour, I found myself 
in a kind of prairie district, great breadths of which 
were covered with a stunted vegetation of birch, 
alder, etc. I had a couple of pointers with me, a,nd 
after a good deal of tramping, I killed four wood- 
cock and three white partridges. All this was done 
on a cup of chocolate. After an hour's rest I again 
resumed my labours, but got very little shooting 
during the rest of the day. I have just returned to 
the Embassy, very glad to find myself in a com- 
fortable arm-chair. 

August i6th. — I dined last night by myself, and at 
nine o'clock started for Tsarskoe, finding, of course, 
in the train all my brother warriors. Instead, how- 
ever, of going straight to the palace, on my arrival 
I paid a visit to the Schouvaloffs, and, as a conse- 
quence, had some difficulty in discovering my rooms, 
my modesty having prevented my asking at the 
main building, if I lived there. This, however, I 



1879] MORE MANCEUVRES 49 

found to be the case, and was soon very comfortably 
installed in a handsome apartment on the ground 
floor. They offered me tea, which I declined, as I 
was very tired and wanted to get as much sleep as 
possible, inasmuch as I was told we were to be in 
the saddle at four o'clock the next morning. It 
turned out not so bad as this, our start not taking 
place till six. We had an hour's ride to the place 
where our horses had been sent to. The operations 
are supposed to consist of a hostile army attacking 
Krasnoe, the place where the recent reviews were 
held ; but as a preliminary proceeding, it must 
make itself master of Tsarskoe. The first thing the 
attacking force had to do was to cross the river, and 
this was the only thing at all striking in the morning's 
spectacle. This part of the business was, however, 
really very pretty. The river, making a bend and 
having a high bank on one side, gave a picturesque 
character to the scene, and we had an excellent view 
of the crowds of men first putting the pontoons 
together, and then rowing them across full of 
soldiery, while a battery of artillery protected the 
proceedings. The force on our side was compelled 
to retire in the face of superior numbers, and we 
had rather a long, tiresome ride homewards, and 
then another spurt which concluded the performance 
for the day. It is now half-past one o'clock, but 
something has gone wrong with the breakfast arrange- 
ments, as we are to be provided with food in our 
apartments. As yet there is no appearance of any- 
thing of the kind. 

August lyth. — ^After closing my letter of yesterday, 
I took a stroll through the palace, which has got no 
pictures or ornaments of any sort, but is remarkable, 
as most Russian palaces are, for a succession of 
magnificently large rooms. The rest of the after- 
noon I spent in reading and writing. There does 



50 A REGIMENTAL FETE [ch. i 

not seem to be any change of the Emperor's plans 
in contemplation, in which case I shall start, I sup- 
pose, on the 28th; but I may perhaps stay another 
day in Berlin to see the Princess of Prussia, as she 
sent me a message to let her know when I pass 
through. 

August 20th. — I have just returned to Petrograd 
with all my laurels. I must begin with Monday. 
It was the first day consecrated to the fete, that is 
to say, to the first regiment of Foot Guards. We all 
assembled on foot in the courtyard of the palace at 
twelve o'clock. It was a beautiful day, and the 
whole place was flooded with light. In the midst 
of the Grande Place an altar had been erected, round 
which were assembled three priests, and a couple of 
dozen acolytes with four standards of the regiment 
being planted before it. A solemn Mass was then 
chanted, which had a very fine effect, the priests 
blessed the colours and sprinkled them with holy 
water, and then came the review. This being con- 
cluded, we adjourned to a great field where tents had 
been erected, and rank and file, as well as all the 
staff, were given a breakfast by the ofiicers. The 
entertainment concluded with a few toasts, after 
which we separated. 

The rest of the afternoon I spent in visiting the 
Schouvaloffs and one or two other people, and at 
six the Emperor entertained the officers of the regi- 
ment, whose fete we had celebrated at a banquet in 
the great hall of the palace. 

On Tuesday the battle, which had lain dormant 
since Saturday, was recommenced. We got up at 
seven, and drove, as usual, half a dozen miles to where 
our horses were awaiting us. The military incidents 
of the day were not very striking, but, the weather 
being lovely, the early outing was very enjoyable. 
At twelve the fighting ceased, and we sat down to an 



1879I END OF THE MANCEUVRES 51 

al fresco breakfast in the shadow of a wayside school- 
house. The Emperor entertained us at his table. 

On Monday evening, after the banquet, we went 
to the play. The theatre is a lovely little one, done 
up in the Chinese fashion by Catherine, and is in the 
same state as she left it. The first piece was rather 
stupid, but there was a pretty ballet. During the 
entr^acte we were sent for to the salon off the 
Emperor's state box. The Ambassadors were told 
to sit at the Emperor's own table, where there were 
one or two ladies. 

This morning we were up again pretty early, and 
had a very interesting day ; but I will not bore you 
further with military gossip. We again lunched at 
the Emperor's. During the morning he had asked 
me very civilly about you, and again later he took 
me aside and talked to me a little about the political 
situation, being very kind and conciliatory in his 
language both as regards the Queen, the country, 
and myself personally. Most of my fellow warriors 
returned to town by the 2 o'clock train, but I remained 
behind to pay a long visit to Madame Schouvaloff, 
whom I found alone. I have enjoyed my outing 
extremely. I have made a number of pleasant 
acquaintances and increased my intimacy with a 
good many of the diplomats. The fresh air and 
exercise have done me good, but I feel rather in 
want of a good night's sleep. 

[August 24th. — The Ambassador returned to Eng- 
land on leave. — H. D,] 

MY RETURN TO PETROGRAD 

November, 20th. — Nelly and I had to leave Paris 
early this morning. We had a very comfortable coupe 
to Cologne, and there we met Mrs. Hall ^ and the four 
1 Children's nurse. 



52 JOURNEY TO PETROGRAD [ch. i 

children in charge of one of Cook's couriers. We had 
time to dine, and then we settled into two little 
cabins in the train, containing four berths each. The 
line was rather rough, and we were a good deal 
shaken. We reached Berlin early in the morning 
and drove to the Kaiserhof, where we all had baths 
and breakfast. 

Friday, 21st. — I then took the children out in an 
open carriage for a couple of hours and showed them 
the town. I had visits from Lady Odo Russell and 
Madame de Schweinitz, and dined at the Embassy ; 
Lord and Lady Odo were quite alone and I was in my 
travelling dress. I returned to the hotel at nine, 
and we all got ready for a fresh start. The train left 
at 1 1. 1 5 p.m., and we packed into our little berths 
and had a very good night. 

Saturday, 22nd. — ^The children were as good as 
gold all day, not the least bit troublesome or irritable. 
They enjoyed the picnic in the train, and all the 
little incidents of the journey, and thought the time 
went quickly. At 4.30 we reached the Russian 
frontier, and changed carriages. We were treated 
with the utmost civility by the tall Russian who 
keeps the line, and the change of scene, the tea and 
rest were very pleasant. We were now shown into 
certain " blue carriages " which are wonders of 
comfort — no jar and no noise. 

Sunday, 22,rd. — ^We found it rather difficult to feed 
so many mouths to-day. The breakfast was brought 
into the car — bread, and hot tea in glasses, which we 
were told we must drink in five minutes. Then we 
only had fifteen minutes for dinner, and the little 
ones did not get through much in that time, and we 
had to finish up in the car with cake and chocolate. 
At 6 p.m. we arrived at Petrograd, well, and in 
the best of spirits. All the Embassy met us, and 
we drove home, the children much interested in the 



1879] SETTLING INTO EMBASSY 53 

coachman's dress, and in every other novelty. Victoria 
expressed her contentment at being in a town and 
not at Clandeboye, — " where there is nothing to see 
but trees." The children's rooms have all been 
cleaned and painted, and are extremely comfortable 
and nice. 

Wednesday 26th, Thursday 2yth, Friday 2Sth. — I 
have spent every morning in arranging furniture 
and in unpacking. There seem such endless things 
to settle. I have also received some visits and have 
paid some. I have been twice to the Schouvaloffs, 
and they have been here : she, to pull about my 
chairs and tables, and he to choose the furs for the 
sleigh. While she was here one day, a dancing- 
mistress arrived, who is to give the children lessons, 
but I found she only knew Russian, and a few French 
words, such as chassez, balancez, etc. She did 
not appear to think this an insuperable objection, 
and I got Madame Schouvaloff to interpret for me. 
To-day the lesson was given, and I am told it was 
excellent, though of course the language is a difficulty. 

I have had visits from the Langenaus, who are 
leaving Russia, much to their regret, and from 
Madame Chanzy, the new French Ambassadress. 
Yesterday, when I went to call on the F.'s, they were 
alone, and immediately began to tell me how Madame 
Chanzy had not called upon them. They seemed 
to hope that I would speak to her, but I believe they 
are in the wrong, so I shall keep out of the discussion. 
They paid me heaps of compliments, but at the same 
time told me they did not care a fig for an Ambassa- 
dress unless they liked her personally, which is horrible 
treason, of course. 

Thursday evening I had my Embassy to dinner. 
We tried the cook and the dining-room, and things 
went off pretty well. After dinner we were prin- 
cipally engaged in arranging the furniture, a most 



54 A TROIKA DRIVE [ch. i 

absorbing subject. I am keeping all descriptions 
till things are really settled. 

December yth. — ^We went to church, and afterwards 
as it was such a lovely day I determined to take the 
children a troika drive. We hired one, and set off, the 
five chicks, Mrs. Hall, and myself, and a Russian coach- 
man with whom we could not converse ; but when 
I made him a sign to go faster he gave a shout and 
set off at such a pace that the family screamed with 
delight. Basil looked startled for a moment, and 
then said, " I thought the wolves were after us." 
We all came home with white hair and eyelashes. 
The frost was very severe. 

Monday, Sth. — ^As usual — ^visits. I went to see 
Madame Pahlen, and lent her nice daughter a book. 
On my way home I saw Madame Schouvaloff, and 
told her we had received a telegram to say D. would 
start on Thursday. We are all jubilant ! 

I attended a dancing-lesson and took Victoria. 
Hermie did well, but Basil did not distinguish him- 
self. The funny little Russian mistress, not being 
able to speak French, shouts out " Basil," and alarms 
and confuses him. She accompanies her shout by 
imitating him. She likes Victoria, and kisses her 
even when she does badly. 

Tuesday, 9th. — I went first to Madame F., who 
amongst other things said, " We count upon you, 
Lady Dufferin, to amuse us this winter." Then to 
an American lady, who amused me, first, by saying 
that she was so lonely here that she " cultivated " 
our Embassy as a sort of forlorn hope, and then, 
when I said that I did not sleep quite so well here as 
usual, by asking me if I ever took a " soak " (bath), 
and by recommending me to eat an orange in the 
night . 

I had a great " lark " in the evening, which I must 
describe to you. I was invited by the Plunketts to 



1879I A RESTAURANT PARTY 55 

join a troika party, and happily the weather was 
perfect. It was scarcely freezing, and very fine. 
You understand by this time that a troika is a 
large sleigh drawn by three horses abreast, the two 
outside ones cantering, while the horse in the shafts 
trots. (Don't let me have to repeat this.) We set 
off, in two troikas, Mr. Plunkett and I, Lord Frederick 
Hamilton and a Danish secretary in one, and Mrs. 
Plunkett, Lord William, Mr. Kennedy, and " M. le 
Jonkheer van der Staal de Hiershil," Dutch ditto, 
in the other. We had a delightful drive, and in 
about an hour and a half arrived at a sort of restaurant 
where we were shown into a magnificent ball-room 
with a splendid floor, and most lively dance music 
played on the piano by a man. Of course we had 
a few good dances, " to warm ourselves," and then 
we went into a dining-room, and were provided with 
a first-rate dinner, opened by an excellent Zakouska 
caviare, oysters, etc., etc. After this, as the music 
still went on, we danced again, and, as we were two 
ladies and six gentlemen, we ladies had the hardest 
work. Some other couples were there, but they 
seemed to think it more amusing to look at us. At 
half-past ten we started home, and had a lovely drive 
back. Between the dance and the start Lord Frederick 
sat at the piano imitating an opera, amusing us very 
much. 

Wednesday, 10th, — I went out in my sleigh. It is 
not nearly so comfortable or so large as the Canadian 
ones. The coachman sits on a sort of bar covered 
over with the end of my fur rug, it being black bear 
inside and out, no cloth about it. The Chasseur, in 
cocked hat, sword and belt, stands behind. 

The whole family was dressed in its best, and we 

were all ready to meet D. when he arrived. He spent 

the night at Bismarck's " ramshackle " abode, and 

had two hours* long talk with him upon European 

5 



1 



56 SOCIAL EVENTS [ch. i 

politics, which was very interesting and amusing. D. 
slept next night at Dantzig and the third in the train. 
I am happy to say that he is delighted with the house. 
We had the Plunketts, Lord William Compton, and 
Mr. Kennedy to dinner, and had singing and talking. 

Thursday, iSth. — Such a lovely day, just freezing. 
I had to be " at home " in the afternoon, and had 
twenty-nine visitors ; but, as I always see people if 
they come at five, I do not have so many on the 
" day," which is a great comfort. D. had to go 
and see Prince Gortschakoff after dinner. 

Saturday, 20th. — ^We had a visit from Prince 
Gortschakoff. The old gentleman arrived in evening 
dress, brass buttons, and a magnificent diamond 
order. He was full of compliments, as usual, telling 
D. that if he would take his place he would give 
up his portfolio at once ; calling Nelly, who was 
introduced to him, my eldest sister, etc. ; and asking 
me to keep his visit secret, as he did not go anywhere 
else. 

In the afternoon D. and I went to the Usopoff 
gardens to skate. It was only just freezing, and was 
very pleasant. I soon recovered my skating powers, 
and enjoyed a couple of hours' exercise very much. 
There' were very few people at that hour, and they 
were English. 

Monday 22nd. — ^We are very busy now making out 
lists of dinners, and preparing for the official reception. 
We are going to invite a party of English to dine on 
our New Year's Eve, and the big reception is to be 
the night before. 

We dined with the Schouvaloffs to meet M. Labanoff, 
the new Ambassador to England : as it happened he 
was unable to come to dinner as he had to go to the 
palace, but he came in the evening. We were only 
five for an excellent dinner. 

Tuesday f 2-^rd. — Hanging pictures all the morning. 



1879I A BALL 57 

In the afternoon I took the children to Madame 
Schouvaloff, who had a party for them. The prin- 
cipal game consisted in throwing 100 india-rubber 
balls at each other, and I introduced " Mulberry 
Bush " to the Russian world. They had a cup of 
( chocolate and a biscuit each, and came home at 
four. 

Wednesday, 24th. — I went out for a walk with the 
children. We lost our way, and had to take two 
little sleighs. I did not know my address in Russian, 
so I said " Kaisan " to the driver, and he took me 
to that church ; once I got there I was able to point 
out the direction in which we wished to go, and so we 
got home. 

Thursday, 2$th. — (Not Christmas Day.) No, this 
was not our Christmas. It was the most awful day, 
rain and wind, and I did not go out at all. From 
two till six I had visitors, and then a dinner at seven. 
First came the old peace-loving Prince d 'Oldenburg, 
and then all through the afternoon one person after 
another, sometimes the room being quite full. 

Saturday, 2'jth. — D. and I went to a dancing-party. 
In our ignorance we arrived there at 10.30, and, 
finding the preparations going on, and the lamps 
unlighted, we almost went home again. The extreme 
discomfort of this step overcame my shyness, so I 
went up, and we had three quarters of an hour at 
least tete-d-tete with our hostess. This was, I may 
say, my first dance here, and I was interested in the 
arrangements and in looking at the people. I 
waited on and on to see the Mazurka, and after all 
only just saw it begun. In the refreshment- room I 
found tea and biscuits, and when two o'clock arrived 
I began to think there was to be no supper. I found, 
however, that there is a sitting-down meal at four in 
the morning ! ! This is an odd arrangement for people 
who dine at six. Of course I went supperless to bed. 



58 OUR OFFICIAL RECEPTION [ch. i j 

Monday, 2gth. — ^The da37 promised badly ; it looked 
cold and windy, and, as we had a troika party on 
foot, I was rather unhappy about it. However, I may j 
tell you at once that nothing could have been more 
charming than the weather. We assembled here at 
six o'clock, a party of twelve. The Italian Am- 
bassador has a private troika which he lent me, and 
we had two others, and we drove along very merrily 
to Oserki, where after the usual warming-up dance 
we had a magnificent Zakouska, and a grand dinner. 
Then we danced polkas, waltzes, quadrilles, and Sir 
Roger) had tea, and played " innocent " games, winding 
up with " Russian scandal." Every one was very 
lively and merry, and they were delighted with the 
party ; they are very seldom so gay here. When 
we got back to Petrograd we dropped our guests 
at their various houses, and were in bed about 1*30. 
Fred says these parties sound to him like a cross 
between a " surprise party " and a happy day at 
Rosherville. 

Tuesday, $oth.^ — Now I have to tell you of a very 
different affair — our official reception ! ji 

We were busy all day, furbishing up everything, 
and putting finishing touches everywhere. 

I have not time to describe the house to-day, but it 
really looked lovely at night, and was much admired. 

We were dressed by six, and at that time came 
four court officials, two for me, two for D., and they 
explained to us what we had to do and where to 
stand. 

The scene of our performance was the large, empty 
(unfurnished) drawing-room. It has two big doors 
opposite each other ; the people were to come up 
the stairs, pass through two bright and well-lighted 
ante-rooms, through my drawing-room, by one door, 
and into the ball-room by the other. D. was placed 
by the first door with his two guides, and I was 



1879] OUR OFFICIAL RECEPTION 59 

opposite him on the other side of the door with my 
two gentlemen in splendid uniforms. 

When the people came in the gentlemen stopped 
and were presented to D., and then came on to me, 
whereas the ladies came straight to me and had 
nothing to say to the Ambassador. 

The ball-room soon became a gay scene, all the 
gentlemen being smothered in golden uniforms, and 
through it people could pass into the dining-room, 
where a very substantial refreshment was provided 
them. They seemed pleased, said that they enjoyed 
it, and, instead of going straight away, they remained 
till twelve, and made quite a pleasant party of it. 

On the stairs were twelve footmen wearing our 
liveries — at the top the two chasseurs in a costume 
too gorgeous for description, any amount of gold, 
breeches and boots, sword, etc. In the dining-room 
about twenty butlers who volunteered their services. 
I wore white brocaded satin, and my tiara, D. his 
Lord- Lieutenant's uniform. 



CHAPTER II 



THE WINTER AT PETROGRAD 



Wednesday, January ist, 1880. — I wish you all a 
very happy New Year 1 Ours is a sort of muddle 
between an old and a new year, as to the foreigners I 
it is New Year's Day, to the Russians it is not. We 
had a small dinner of ten, the Laws, Beauclerks, and 
Embassy. We played whist till eleven, and then 
we went to a party at Madame Santos, where at 
twelve we all shook hands with each other. There 
was dancing ^t)ing on. 

Thursday, 2nd. — Basil and Freddy and I took a 
drive in the sleigh to " La Pointe," which is a place 
from which you see the Gulf of Finland, and in 
summer all the world drives there to look at the 
sunset. _ All the afternoon I had visitors. I am in 
despair about my own "morning calls"; I have at 
least 600 to pay, and I feel bewildered. 

We dined with the Grand Duke Vladimir. The 
Grand Duchess is very pretty and nice. We were 
a party of twelve ; D. and I went in with our host and 
hostess. The table was very plain, three candelabra, 
three dishes of fruit, straight down the middle, that 
was all. After dinner smoking and talking till about 
nine, when the Grand Duchess got up, and we left. 

Friday, -^rd. — I went out shopping with Madame 
Schouvaloff. As Christmas is next Tuesday the 
shops were very full, and it was very tiring dragging 
oneself about in an enormous velvet and fur cloak. 

60 



i88o] CHRISTMAS SHOPPING 6i 

We bought things to put on a Christmas-tree, and 
when we came home at five I had to rush off to pay 
my devoirs to Madame de Langenau, and then to 
scurry back to dress for dinner at the German 
Embassy. 

The Langenaus were there, Madame in a magnificent 
pink gown, which every one admired. I wore black 
velvet. Generally people go away after they have 
been fed, but a few of us stayed on, and adjourned 
to M. de Schweinitz's study, a very nice room, where 
we talked till midnight. 

January 4th. — ^More shopping, and in the afternoon, 
as it was too mild for skating, I sent the children out 
in a troika to see the Christmas preparations in the 
streets, and to do their own shopping. Every man, 
woman, and child has a Christmas-tree here, so the 
streets are lined with them, all ready decorated, the 
poorest ones only with paper rosettes, and all the 
shop windows were gay with golden and glittering 
trifles. 

We had a banquet with some very rich people. 
They have a very fine house, had lots of flowers on 
the table from their own conservatory, chickens from 
one end of France, truffles from another, and all that 
sort of thing. 

Wednesday, Sth. — I began my official round of visits, 
starting with an enormous bundle of cards, a long 
list, and a pencil, and I got through about twenty. 
Happily between three and four every one was out, 
but after that I began to find them in, and I did not 
get on so fast. 

In the evening we had our first big dinner. There 
were twenty-six people, and though all the servants 
are so new, it went off very well, and the cook is 
approved of, which is a great comfort. The gentle- 
men come out of the dining-room with the ladies, and 
then retire to the smoking-room. They stay a very 



62 THE ICE HILLS [ch. ii 

short time (till 9.30), so there is not much of an 
evening. D. and I went to a dance, and were not 
home till 5.30; but we sat up " on business " to see 
how the thing was done. A great deal of time is 
wasted, as the windows are opened between each 
dance, and every creature had to leave the ball- 
room while it was being aired. Here the gentleman 
only gives " a turn " to a girl, and does not ask her 
for a whole waltz. I think it answers rather well, 
and makes a ball lively. 

Wednesday , 22nd. — I went with Madame de Lan- 
genau to visit a hospital. The newest idea (to me) 
in it was an arrangement for receiving the children 
of poor women who are invalids in the hospital during 
their stay there. The children, being themselves in 
good health, and being very well cared for, looked 
so happy and comfortable. 

Thursday, :^oth. — Ninety visitors ; busily engaged 
from 1.30 till six. Then read to the children, dined, 
and went to French play ; it was a pretty piece {Le 
Fils de Giboyer) and well acted. 

Friday, ^ist. — In the evening D. and I started off 
in our sleigh to the Ice Hills, where Lord William 
and three other gentlfemen were giving a party. As 
we approached we saw the place illuminated, and, 
upon mounting some stairs, we found ourselves in a 
good-sized room at the top of a " Tobogganing 
slide." The " slide " is of ice, and here the hills 
are arranged so that you go from one to the other 
and always find yourself at the foot of the staircase 
up to the second slide. All the English people were 
there and they " tobogganed " in every sort of way, 
backwards, forwards, kneeling, sitting, lying, stand- 
ing, on two sleighs, on three, on four or on six, or on a 
piece of carpet. I refused to go down till near the 
end, when I thought I must try it, and, as the hills are 
a much gentler slope than those at Ottawa, I liked it 



i88o] A THAW 63 

and continued the amusement. The gentleman sits 
in front and the lady kneels behind him, with her 
hands on his shoulders. Mulled claret was pro- 
vided and afterwards there was supper. We came 
home at twelve ; the night was very fine and 
pleasant. 

February '^rd. — ^There is such a thaw, the most 
unseasonable weather. You may imagine how un- 
usual it is, when I tell you that a great wooden 
establishment just built upon the Neva, for trotting 
races which always go on in January and February, 
has given way, and had to be taken down. The 
streets are impossible to walk in, but the sun shines, 
so one must not complain too much, though (to recur 
to the dark side of affairs) these thaws are very 
unhealthy, and result in a resurrection of smells 
hitherto buried in the snow. In the morning I 
attended to my visiting accounts, and having made 
out a list of eighteen debts to be paid, I went the 
round and got through them all, so I am tolerably 
free for the week ; that is to say, till Thursday, when 
fresh names are added to my book. This reminds 
me of a saying of Victoria's which shows the social 
atmosphere in which she lives. She was telling 
me that the French nurse had been to see her friend, 
the wife of a coachman, — and says Victoria, " I think 
it must have been her reception day, for there were 
several other visitors there." 

Friday y yth. — I saw Miss Corry, who is in waiting 
on the Duchess of Edinburgh, her cold is so bad she 
could not dine with us to-night. Captain Haig 
came, and at nine o'clock the " pupils " arrived for 
our Mazourka lesson. We have determined to learn 
that national dance ! The class consists of about ten 
men, and four ladies. Our teacher is a Pole, who 
dances the Mazourka in the ballets, and who is grace 
itself. The ladies only have two steps to learn, the 



64 DINNER AND DANCE [ch. ii 

gentlemen about six. It is very pretty, and has a 
great deal of " go " about it. 

Wednesday, nth. — Ks I knew that from five o'clock 
I should be rather hard worked, I took care of myself 
in the early part of the day and neglected many of 
my social duties. People always arrive punctually 
for dinner at seven, and on this occasion our guests 
were English ; we asked the rest of the " Colony " 
in the evening, and all the Diplomatic Corps, and 
we had a very nice dance. We had the Mazourka, 
and a cotillon and Sir Roger, and all the people 
who don't generally dance (myself included) did 
dance, and it was very lively. Dancing here is very 
hard work, as you do not give your partner a whole 
dance, but only a turn, so a fresh one appears the 
moment you stop, and you have to go on again. 
Certainly under this system there is no ball-room 
conversation or flirtation possible, and the quadrilles 
are even less restful than the fast dances. 

Friday, i^th. — ^We went with Prince and Princess 
Andre Lieven to " L'ficole des Mines," where we saw 
specimens of the Russian minerals, and below, models 
of the mines. We had to walk about with lighted 
candles^ and passed through imitation coal, gold, and 
copper mines. 

At the end, I was presented with a dagger of Russian 
workmanship, and D. and M. Nigra each with a 
magnificent sword. They said it was the custom of 
the Institution. 

Tuesday, February lyth. — ^We dined at the Chanzys', 
and the evening became historic. 

M . de Giers ^ heard a noise before leaving his house, 
and though he seems to have thought it was at the 
Palace, he did not go himself, but sent his servant. 
During dinner a message came to say there had been 
an explosion " of gas " in the Winter Palace, and 

^ Foreign Minister. 



i88o] EXPLOSION IN THE PALACE 65 

before we left in the evening, the report reached us 
that thirty people were killed. We hurried home, 
and found Captain Haig in our house. He told us 
that he was just going to dress for dinner, when he 
saw a flash of light and his window was blown in ; 
he looked out and found all the passages dark and 
full of smoke. The servant entreated him to go 
back lest he should be killed ; but he got a light, and 
went to see what had happened. The explosion 
took place two stories below the Emperor's dining- 
room and was arranged to take place during his 
dinner. However, the Prince of Hesse was late, and 
instead of being at table the Emperor and his guests 
were having Zakuska in the outer room. There was 
not sufficient damage done to the Emperor's room 
to have hurt him had he been there, but the windows 
were all broken. In the room beneath this the guard 
was dining, and, as far as they knew last night, six 
men were killed and nineteen severely wounded . Two 
enormous holes have been made, and on the way to 
Miss Corry's room a great gulf is opened. Mercifully, 
the Empress slept through it, and will know nothing 
about it ; it would have killed her had she known . 

Miss Corry's maid had just gone to dinner, and 
was in a room by herself when the lights went out, 
and the doors and windows were burst open. 

D. put on his uniform and went to the palace, 
where he saw the Emperor and Duchess of Edinburgh 
and Miss Corry. Captain Haig asked his Russian 
servant what he thought of it, and he said, " Oh, 
some one has been bought, the General most likely ; I 
dare say he is in prison by this time." 

We hear five carpenters who lived underneath have 
been taken, and that one escaped. Had the wretches 
succeeded in their designs they would have killed 
the Emperor and all his sons, our Duchess, and the 
Prince of Bulgaria and Prince of Hesse. 



66 VISIT TO THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH [ch. ii 

Wednesday, iSth. — I went over to the Palace to-day 
to call on the Duchess of Edinburgh. When I got 
there I found there was a service going on, and I 
asked the servants if they thought I could slip in 
quietly ; they said yes, and off I went after one of 
them. We went all through the Duchess's rooms, 
and down endless passages, until at last I found 
myself on the grand staircase : it was crowded with 
people coming down, ladies in gorgeous dresses, 
and gentlemen in still more gorgeous uniforms. I 
was smart, but in a short dress, so I felt rather shy ; 
but I could not speak to my guide and there was 
nothing left but to follow him. Having run the 
gauntlet of a whole astonished society, I found myself 
at the door of the great drawing-room, and there 
even my guide began to falter, and just as I was 
wondering what I had better do the whole party of 
royalties came out — so I made a curtsey, and they 
all shook hands with me, and I spoke to our Duchess. 
When they were gone I said to my guide, " Miss 
Corry." He understood, and we started off again 
through all the grandees to find her room. 

This time I met Prince Lieven, who looked 
immensely astonished and discomfited at my presence, 
as it is his business to take in charge Ambassadresses 
when they come to the Palace, and to find one roaming 
about alone was quite improper ! I hurried back to 
the Duchess's rooms, and there met Captain Haig, 
who took me to see the ruins. 

Exactly above the big room was the Emperor's 
dining-room, and above the explosion is a great hole, 
but, as the roof was arched, it has not actually gone 
through the ceiling above. 

There is a hole in the outer wall of the room down- 
stairs and a crack in the wall of the room above. 
Below, the guards were dining, and the whole of 
them were simply swallowed up in the ruins ; forty- 



i88o] NIHILISTS 67 

five were taken out, six already dead ; I believe six 
more have already died, and many more may do so. 

I went afterwards to see various people. All are 
much agitated, and there is a feeling of horror every- 
where, especially as it is thought that more efforts 
will be made before the 19th, the Nihilists having 
always stated that they would kill the Emperor 
before that date, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his 
reign. 

Yesterday the Nihilists got out a sheet in which, 
after first of all avowing that they ordered the ex- 
plosion, and that a few days ago they had murdered 
a spy, they advise all persons valuing their lives to 
keep as far as possible from the Emperor ! 

At the time of the " Dynamite Plot " the Com- 
mandant of the Palace was missing, and was not 
found for two hours. The story now told is, that he 
was going upstairs in a lift when the explosion 
occurred, that the men who were sending him up ran 
away, and that he remained shut up in his cage in 
mid-air, until accidentally released by some new 
passenger wanting the machine. (This is true.) 

A curious thing discovered now, in this land of 
Dvorniks and passports, is, that in the Palace the 
servants and their families have been making money 
by letting out the corners of their rooms to homeless 
vagabonds ; and it is only a wonder that more 
Nihilists have not been living there. 

A despotic dictator has been appointed, Loris 
Melikoff by name. He has power of life and death 
in his hand, but whether it is a step in the right 
direction, or whether he can do any good, is a doubtful 
question. 

Since writing the above he has been shot at ; his 
coat was touched, but he was not hurt. 

The would-be assassin was at once taken prisoner, 
and made no resistance. 



68 A COURT CEREMONY [ch. ii 

February 2gth. — ^The Duke of Edinburgh came to 
see us, in a smart Russian Lancer's dress. 

Tuesday, March 2nd (19th February). — ^The twenty- 
fifth anniversary of the Emperor's reign. We re- 
ceived invitations to go to Court to " congratulate " 
him, so by 11.30 I was in my court plumes, and D. 
and I drove off to the Palace. That miserable class 
of beings called " Diplomats " were shown into one 
room by themselves and there remained seeing 
nothing, while the great procession walked into the 
chapel, where a " Te Deum " was sung. Then we 
were marshalled into another room, and arranged 
in a circle according to our diplomatic rank, the ladies 
on one side, the gentlemen on the other. When the 
Emperor came in he went all round us, speaking to 
all the Ambassadors and Ministers, and thanking the 
ladies for having come. He was followed by the 
Court, the Grand Duchesses in Russian costume, and 
all the maids of honour and ladies in the same. It 
is very handsome. The head-dress is a high velvet 
band, like a diadem, covered with embroidery or 
jewels, with a veil flowing from the back ; the body 
of the dress and the train are velvet, with gold and 
silver embroidery. 

The Cesarevna wore cloth-of-gold trimmed with 
dark fur. The maids of honour all wear crimson 
and gold. We did not see them very well as they 
passed us in a crowd. Heaps of people were there, 
and all were very proud of their courage in coming. 
The Emperor seems well, but speaks very asthmatic- 
ally. Nothing happened in the way of fire or murder, 
and the illuminations, etc., went off well. The only 
drawback was a thaw, which prevented people from 
enjoying the holiday. 

Wednesday, -^rd. — ^We have been to a wedding. 
The ceremony was at the house of our semi-detached 
neighbour, the Prince d 'Oldenburg. The chapel 



i88o] DUKE AND DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH 69 

is very small, so there was not a very good view 
of the ceremony. Last year I described a Greek 
Church marriage, so I will not do so again. The 
bride was much kissed afterwards, and we all rushed 
frantically about with champagne glasses, trying to 
touch hers. Then we went on to the house of her 
aunt, who brought her up, and there we were expected 
to do the same again. The bridegroom is in the 
Diplomatic Service, and they go off to Spain to-night. 

It was on my return from this that I heard of the 
attempt to murder Loris Melikoff. He was at our 
door at one, leaving cards. 

Friday, ^th. — I have been busy arranging our dinner 
for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Lord William 
Compton was not back from his bear- shooting, so I had 
to settle the order of precedence at the table myself, 
and as a General very high up in the social scale was 
carried off at the last moment by the Emperor, it 
all had to be done twice over. I let the four younger 
children appear so that Victoria might present the 
Duchess with a bouquet, and they all made the most 
admirable curtseys and bows. 

Everything went off very well, but the Duchess 
was not able to stay for the Mazourka lesson. It was 
very lively, and lasted till two. People seem to 
enjoy themselves here very much, and I am now 
being asked for invitations, which is terrible ! 

Saturday, 6th. — ^To-night there was a fancy ball given 
by Countess Kreutz. I copied a Sheridan picture with 
a Gainsborough hat ; the dress was perfectly plain, 
white Indian muslin, Leghorn hat, no ornaments, 
powder, mittens, and a long cane. It was quite 
different from the other costumes, and was so com- 
fortable that I danced all night I 

Some of the dresses were very pretty ; there was a 
sun who looked very handsome with golden rays from 
her head, ancient Russian dames — a " Cenci," (very 



70 CARNIVAL WEEK [ch. ii 

pretty). You will be fearfully shocked when I tell you 
I got home at 6 a.m. ! 

March Sth. — I am now settling a little dance for 
Wednesday, and sit with my nose in my visiting-book, 
making lists, and hardening my heart against people 
who will be expecting to come ! 

Lord William has returned, having (with his 
friend) killed seventeen bears. He and Lord Frederick 
and Miss Corry dined with us last night. She said 
that after the fancy ball, when she was breakfasting 
with the Emperor, they asked her all about it, and 
said, "I suppose you got home late?" "Yes." 
They suggested three o'clock, and went on guessing 
till they arrived at six, when they jeered at her ! 
She had been dressed as Snow, and had her own 
hair, which is lovely, down her back ! 

I hope you don't imagine this is Lent ; no, it 
is Carnival week, and all next week we shall do 
nothing. 

Wednesday, loth. — My first ball here ! Rather a 
nervous affair. Who will come ? When will they 
come ? and so on. I have begun a crusade against 
the late hours, and had put " lo o'clock " on my 
card, and had asked many people to attend to it, so 
I felt it was possible we might be about twenty 
ladies and no men, or vice versa, between ten and 
twelve. However, people were most civil about it, 
and at 10.30 we began to dance, the party gradually 
swelling up to 250. The ball was a success, and we 
hope we have not offended any one. 

The dancing went on with great spirit till 5.30 ! ! 
At 1.30 we had the Mazourka, which lasted an hour 
and a half, then supper. It was in the supper -room, 
which we opened for the first time. We had round 
tables holding ten each, and seated 147 people. 
There was a short cotillon afterwards, and we were all 
dropping with fatigue at the end. I got my black 



i88o] THE CARNIVAL 71 

lace fearfully torn by the real spurs which officers 
wear here. 

Thursday, nth. — I was naturally very tired, but I 
did not like to shut my doors on " my day," so I had 
a lot of visitors, and regiments of young officers 
whom I had asked last night. 

We dined with our landlord and semi-detached 
neighbour, Prince Soltikoff. We can get through 
our house to his, and the Princess is a very pretty, 
charming person. The dinner was more Russian 
than any I have been to. Some guests failed, and 
there was a great alarm about our being thirteen ; 
we sat down twelve, but a brother arrived, and the 
governess had to be sent for. After the soup we 
had a dish of round pancake to be eaten with melted 
butter, sour cream, and caviare. It was very good 
without the sour cream, but I believe that is generally 
added by Russians, 

Friday, 12th. — On the "Champs de Mars" at the 
back of our house a quantity of little wooden theatres 
have been put up for the Carnival, also merry- 
go-rounds, tobogganing hills, and all sorts of amuse- 
ments. We determined to visit them, so Nelly, 
D., Lord William and I went off to see the sights. 
I was quite surprised to find how good the 
theatre was. 

The scenery and dresses and acting, all excellent, 
very comfortable seats, and a ballet. The dancers 
had long sleeves to their under- garments, and their 
poor hands looked very red from out of these flesh- 
coloured coverings. The theatres are built on snow, 
and are very cold. The performance lasts about 
twenty minutes, and as soon as one audience comes 
out another goes in, and the play begins again. 

Saturday afternoon. — ^We took the whole family out. 
First of all to the merry-go-rounds, and then we 
adjourned to another theatre, where a military 
6 



72 A CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY [ch. ii 

spectacle was going on. We saw the crossing of the 
Danube, the taking of a spy, the release of a quantity 
of Bulgarian women captured by the Turks, and 
various other historical incidents. Then we bought 
coloured balloons, and on our way home we saw all 
the Emperor's carriages, taking the school-children 
out for a drive. I suppose there were thirty 
carriages, all with six or four horses, postilions, 
coachmen, and footmen, and a crowd of girls in green 
dresses and red hoods in each. 

March 14th. — In the afternoon Nelly and I went 
to the hospital, and then to see Madame Schouvaloff, 
whose mother is very ill at Baden ; she is going to 
her on Tuesday. I shall feel quite lost without her 
here, as I go to five o'clock tea with her at least 
every other day, and she and her husband are both 
so very kind to us. 

Tuesday, 16th. — Lord Frederick Hamilton and Mr. 
Kennedy came back from a bear-shooting expedition. 
They did not kill their bear, but they saw some of 
the customs of the country. They had to sleep in a 
hay-loft, and were invaded by all the women of the 
village, who came in a body to toss them. Seizing 
hold of them, they threw them up in the air and 
then gaught them, the victims having to pay to be 
released. This is considered an honour which is 
paid the visitor. 

Lord Frederick then amused them by putting 
lighted matches in his mouth, etc., so next day the 
women tossed them again. 

When paying a visit the other day I heard some 
rather interesting things about Loris Melikoff ; he 
has been in 163 battles. When appointed, all the 
Ministers (over whom he is put) went to call upon 
him, except one, and he, when presented to Loris 
Melikoff at the Palace, said he was very busy, and 
regretted not having had time to call ; the new 



i 



i88o] LORIS MELIKOFF 73 

" Dictator " replied, " Pray don't mention it, M. 
le Comte ; when I want you, I will send for you ! " 

Another anecdote of him. At Kharkoff, one day, 
a student passed him without saluting. He stopped 
the young man, and said, " Do you not know you 
have to salute all Generals ? " 

" I did not know you were a General." 

" You know very well who I am ; now go home 
and tell the Head Master what has happened." 

This he did, and the master being asked a few days 
after by Loris Melikoff what he had done, said, " Oh, 
I have expelled him." 

Then the General said, " You are here to teach the 
boys their duty, and not to send them away when 
they fail in it : send for the young man at once, and 
take him back." And, in a couple of days, the master 
himself was removed I 

We went to a china manufactory. There is nothing 
very pretty to be seen at the place. The Emperor 
pays so much a year, and the manufactory is bound 
to supply all the china for all the palaces, and for all 
the employees of the royal family, so the whole time 
is taken up with these orders, and the officials say 
bitterly, " No wonder we make no money." I think 
we saw them at a particularly cross moment, for they 
are just finishing off the Easter order for 5,000 eggs. 
These are made of china, some of them beautifully 
painted, and they have a ribbon run through them, 
but they are not even boxes. Much time and art are 
expended upon these useless things. We could not 
buy one, as they all go to the Palace, and are given 
away on Easter Day, 

Wednesday, 24th. — I have just returned from the 
most delightful expedition, which I must try to 
describe to you. 

On Sunday night at ten o'clock, we started — D. 
and I, Lord Frederick Hamilton, and Mr. Kennedy — 



74 BEAR-SHOOTING [ch. ii 

and our object was bear-shooting. We knew of one 
bear, and had a royal permission to shoot another 
which had been heard of in the same neighbourhood, 
and there were rumours of two cubs and their mother 
somewhere about. We left Petrograd by train and 
reached a station called Luban at one o'clock. There 
we packed ourselves into sledges, two in each, and 
drove all the rest of the night, reaching our destination, 
" Ostroff," about six o'clock. We were able to sleep 
a little in the sleighs, as one was almost able to lie 
down in them. It was painfully cold, but, being 
well wrapped up, we arrived warm and comfortable, 
and were quite ready for our breakfast, which Nowell, 
who got there first, had prepared. We found our- 
selves in a largish village, all the houses being wooden, 
log-houses in fact, with large projecting gables, and 
some carving about them ; but, on the whole, looking 
dull and shabby. The only bit of colour in the 
place was the church, the cupolas of which were 
painted a bright green. The surrounding country 
is very flat, bad soil and woods of thin maypoles, 
either fir or birch. The house in which we were lodged 
looked the same as the others, but there was one good 
room which they gave us ; it was a plain wooden 
room, quite empty. We got a table and four stools, 
and we each brought a camp bedstead, and our 
provisions. The ** boys," that is Lord Frederick, 
Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Clark, had a similar room in 
another part of the town, and when I went to see it 
I visited the owner's living-room, which was an 
excellent specimen of a Russian peasant's house. It 
was very small, and about a fifth of it was taken up 
with the oven, or stove, which is built of brick, and 
which is also the family bed ; they all sleep on the 
top of it. At the end of a long, flexible pole, hung 
a baby in a cradle ; it was ill, and they could get no 
doctor, as that functionary only comes to see grown- 



i88o] BEAR-SHOOTING 75 

up people. There were two other nice children, one, 
a dear little girl, with clean white shirt, printed 
skirt, and little red handkerchief tied round her 
head. Lord Frederick, who had been here before, 
brought these children some sweets, and afterwards, 
when he turned out to be the fortunate person to 
kill the bear, the father said to him, " You killed it 
because you brought my children those things." 
The reward of virtue ! 

Well, we had our breakfast, and immediately 
started after our bear. This time we went in common 
carts, with hay in the bottom of them ; we were a 
great procession, as we had all the beaters following, 
that is, seventy men and women. The latter wear 
coloured handkerchiefs on their heads, sheepskin 
coats (the skin outside) made like a gown, with a 
waist and skirt, very short print skirts, white petti- 
coats, and top boots of felt. I was an object of 
great interest to them ; I wore top boots the same 
as theirs, a thick Ulster coat and fur cap. When we 
were near the place, we got out of the sleighs ; the 
buzz of conversation ceased, and we all walked 
silently through the wood, in very deep snow, till 
we were put in our places for shooting. The system 
is this. A peasant finds a bear, and the animal 
becomes his. He comes up to Petrograd to sell it, 
and a sportsman buys it ; ours cost £6. For this 
money the owner is obliged to give the purchaser 
a good shot at it, for if he does not see it, or get a 
chance of shooting it, he does not pay. He, the 
owner, marks exactly where the animal is, and then 
the beaters form a semicircle round it, and the guns 
are placed along the line. On this occasion D., I, 
and Mr. Clark were in the centre. Mr. Clark was not 
to shoot unless some accident happened. 

The silence continued until all was ready, and then 
there broke upon the stillness a volley of shrieks and 



76 THE BEAR [ch. ii 

shouts, and guns going off, and dogs barking ; it 
was most exciting, and one was kept watching anid 
expecting all the time, and occasionally above the 
noise one would hear " The bear 1 the bear ! " and 
then you knew he had been seen, and you redoubled 
your attention. 

This bear was very wily, and was a long time 
appearing, so that our excitement was subsiding and 
we were beginning to think he had escaped, when 
D. said, " What is that ? " and there in front of us, 
but rather far for a good shot, I saw him lumbering 
calmly along. It was so interesting ! As he was 
making straight for Lord Frederick, D. thought it 
best not to shoot, and a moment after we heard a 
shot, a groan, and shouts of triumph ! All the beaters, 
etc., were so excited, and, to my intense amusement, the 
women seized Lord Frederick, and tossed him up and 
down in the air like a baby. Then they rushed at Mr. 
Kennedy, who resisted and succeeded in evading 
them, but the first moment he was off his guard they 
all seized him and tossed him too. D. and I got off 
on this occasion, but, after returning to the village 
and eating our lunch, we were about to take a walk, 
when 'we found at least fifty women surrounding 
the door, and no possibility of getting out without 
going through the ceremony. I don't think I ever 
laughed so much ! They seized me very nicely, 
holding down my petticoats, and not letting go of 
me, but only dancing me up and down. No one 
escaped. 

We gave them something to drink our healths, 
but Lord F. was too generous, the result being 
that some of the men got drunk. In this state they 
are most amiable — and they kissed the bear, and 
hugged each other most affectionately. 

We visited the church, and the court house, and 
walked about till dinner, and went early to bed. I 



i88o] RETURN TO PETROGRAD 77 

bought some native towels, which are much em- 
broidered, and had my " boudoir " almost cram-full 
of sellers. 

At six next morning we were ready for breakfast, 
and at seven we started off in our sleighs . We found 
that the Government bear was already dead, so we 
went after the mother and young ones. We had a 
delightful drive, the day being too lovely I a bright 
sun and glistening snow. 

When we reached the spot we found that the she- 
bear had caught the alarm and was off, but the little 
ones remained. We got into our places and at the 
first shot they scampered out. I saw them beauti- 
fully, but a most terrible thing happened — tell it not 
in Gath — no less than ten shots were fired at them, 
and they escaped uninjured ! 

The sportsmen were very unhappy and immensely 
astonished ! and I don't think they have got over 
it yet I 

Then we fired at marks (to show what we could 
do), and walked back to the sleighs, drove three miles 
to the station, and were home at ten. The whole 
thing was perfectly delightful. I believe that when 
they heard that I had gone the Petrograd ladies 
thought I was mad ; and I fear that when they see 
how very sunburnt I am, they will not be encouraged 
to follow my example ! 

Friday, 26th. — We had a command from the 
Emperor to dine at the palace. The cards said 
" 6 heures," " en frac et cordon," " robe montante," 
and so in these costumes and at this hour we went. 
The Duchess of Edinburgh and the Cesarevna, and 
four Grand Dukes were there. I went in with the 
Grand Duke Alexis, and sat by the Emperor in the 
room that was intended to have been blown up. 
The Emperor is always so very kind and pleasant, 
and talks so easily, that I enjoyed my dinner very 



78 DINNER AT THE WINTER PALACE [ch. ii 

much. D. sat by the Duchess of Edinburgh. The 
Emperor described to me all about the explosion, 
and asked about my bear and my Mazourka, and told 
me some funny stories about the Shah of Persia's 
visit here. 

After dinner he talked to D., but the whole thing 
was over at 7.30. Then I came home to what was 
to have been a very small Mazourka party ; but, as 
people do not dance in Lent, we resolved to do some- 
thing else, but I felt rather nervous about the success 
of the evening. We began at ten, and went on till 
three (imagine it !) playing innocent games — " Magic 
Music," " Clumps," " Dumb Crambo," etc. It really 
was too ridiculous, but our guests delighted in these 
amusements, and I think I must try them at " Mul-' 
berry Bush." 

We never thought of going on so long, but 
when D. proposed to me at twelve to have some 
supper I was overwhelmed with suggestions about 
various games, and saw no one was thinking of j 
going. As I dined at six, I was pretty hungry for 
supper at three. 

We dined with Princess Dolgorouky, almost a 
family party. It was very pleasant. People here 
are very easy to talk to and they enjoy getting up a 
discussion on some matter of opinion, such as " whether 
women understand women better than men do ' 
" whether a man knows a man better than a woman 
can " ; " whether as a rule people improve upon 
acquaintance, or the reverse " ; " whether the voice or 
the * regard ' gives the truest impression of a person's 
feelings," etc. 

Monday, 2gth. — ^We got a box for a Russian Opera, 
called La Vie pour le Czar, in which the Mazourka 
is danced. That was quite lovely, so spirited and 
original, but I thought the Opera itself heavy, especi- 
ally one act, where an old gentleman sings by himself 



i88o] THE "CHEVALIERS GARDES" 79 

in a wood during the whole act ; I longed for him to 
lie down and go to sleep, and he finally did so. 

Tuesday, April 6th. — ^This is the fete-day of the 
" Chevaliers Gardes," and we were asked to attend 
the ceremony with which they celebrate it. We went 
to their Riding-school, and at the door I was pre- 
sented with a lovely bouquet, as were all the ladies 
invited. Then I was shown up to a raised " box " 
at one end of the enormous place. 

The building was beautifully decorated with flags 
and arms, and at each end of it were two stands for 
ladies. One could, however, only just make out that 
there were ladies opposite, so large is the building. 
The regiment ranged the whole way round the place. 
The uniform is beautiful, white tunics with red 
facings, dark trousers with red stripes, and a brass 
helmet surmounted by an eagle. In the centre of 
the long square was an altar, candles, and some 
priests in gorgeous array, and, in another part of the 
great space, an enormous staff of officers, Ambassadors, 
guests, etc., etc., all in different uniforms. 

When the Emperor came in, and the band played, 
and the men all shouted together some sentence of 
welcome, it was a grand and touching scene. The 
Emperor and the staff walked all round the troops 
and then there was a religious service with chanting. 

The soldiers crossing themselves continually had 
a most curious effect, and at first one could not 
imagine what all the long white gloves were waving 
about for. After the Emperor and the Grand Dukes 
had kissed the cross, and a picture, the Metropolitan, 
followed by another priest holding a golden bowl of 
water, walked down the ranks with a great brush in 
his hand, which he kept dipping in the bowl, and 
with which he sprinkled the soldiers. They crossed 
themselves when they felt the drops. 

The priests then went away, the altars were re- 



8o TELEGRAM FROM THE QUEEN [ch. ii 

moved, and a marching past began. It was most 
beautiful to see the golden helmets flashing as the 
regiment passed up and down the school, and Colonel 
Villiers says he never saw anything smarter than the 
men were, or in fact ever saw so lovely a military 
spectacle. The gentlemen were asked to lunch with 
the regiment. 

In the evening we went to a Charity Concert, which 
does not call for much remark. 

Tuesday, 13/A. — ^This week I have spent in nursing 
the children and myself, as we have all had bad colds. 
D. has been bear-hunting, and only came back last 
night. He left on Thursday evening with Colonel 
Villiers, and Baron Bechlolsheim, and went a long 
way off, had an exciting hunt, and D. and Colonel 
Villiers each got a bear. Colonel Villiers came back 
on Saturday, and Lord William and Mr. Kennedy 
joined D. and went off in another direction. D. was 
again fortunate in killing a bear, which animal behaved 
in a most extraordinary manner ; after having a 
bullet right through him, he climbed a tree, and was 
shot at again in that elevated position. D. enjoyed 
the holiday immensely. 

On Sunday, I was surprised by receiving a telegram 
from the Queen, asking how I am after my " fright 
with the bear " — and all my letters now are full of the 
ridiculous story which has appeared in the papers, 
reporting that Lord Frederick Hamilton killed the 
bear at my feet. 

Monday, igth. — I set off this morning on a house- 
hunting expedition, a summer place being wanted 
for the children. I left Petrograd at nine o'clock, 
and arrived at Narva, an old fortified town, on a 
fine river, at 2.30. Our Consul and his wife met me 
at the station and hurried me down to a small steamer, 
he coming on board with me, and taking me to 
Oustia. We were an hour getting there, and, as the 



i88o] AN EXPEDITION 8i 

weather was fine, it was very pleasant on the river. 
Landed, I had some lunch, and then drove to a house 
which a friend had recommended to me. He was 
most anxious to go there with me, but I absolutely 
forbade it, and when I got to the house, I was very 
glad not to have the landlord with me. It was a 
most horrid house, in a thick wood, with access to a 
lovely beach, but itself most uninviting. 

I drove on farther and went over another, which 
I like very much indeed. Having done my business, 
I had twelve miles to drive back to Narva, and we 
reached there at 7.30 p.m. 

The Consul's wife gave me a most excellent dinner 
and a most comfortable bed to lie down upon, where 
I slept a little, but was called up again at 3.30 a.m., 
and had to drive to the station. There I walked about 
for an hour, and then had jftve very long and un- 
comfortable hours in the train, to Petrograd. 

Wednesday, 2Sth. — On awaking this morning I 
found a desperate snow-storm going on, which was 
serious, as we were to start on a sporting expedition. 
Miss Corry came to breakfast with us early, and at 
nine our hosts arrived to fetch us. They are a charm- 
ing young couple, Narischkine by name, and a M. 
Tchoglokoff was associated with them in their 
hospitality. Miss Corry and I were provided with the 
most enormous and the longest of top-boots, and we 
had plenty of wraps, in spite of which the three hours' 
voyage down the Neva in the snow was rather cold. 

When we arrived at our destination we were re- 
warded for our courage by finding the weather getting 
quite fine, though too cold for good sport. The house 
in which we were to spend the night is a villa on the 
banks of the Neva, with an occasional chair and 
table in it, and some bedsteads, but otherwise quite 
unfurnished. 

Next door to it is the ruined palace of Potemkin, and 



82 WOODCOCK [CH. II 

we looked into its ball-room, now full of weeds and 
small trees, and saw the vestiges of paintings on the 
wall, and imagined the great Catherine amusing 
herself there. It is difficult, however, to reconcile one's 
ideas of splendour with the uncared-for and miserable 
appearance of this country place. 

Of course food was our first thought, and we soon 
had a good lunch ready, which prepared us for the 
labours of the day and night. 

We were first of all to see what we could find in 
the way of woodcock. The gentlemen started on 
foot, Miss Corry and I got into a cart, drawn by two 
horses, one being in the shafts, the other loose outside, 
troika fashion, and Madame Narischkine followed 
behind in another primitive machine. Our drive 
was a wonderful one ; we were jolted, shaken, knocked 
about, sometimes deep in the mud, sometimes rattling 
over corduroy, sometimes wading through lakes and 
rivers — laughing all the way. Madame Narischkine 
jumped out at the first bad place, and, getting into a 
mire, had to return home. We, strange to say, 
arrived safely, very warm, and very much amused 
by our adventures, though rather nervous at the 
prospect of a similar drive back. 

Of course, as is the case with all the " sport " I have 
ever seen, we ought to have seen whole flocks of 
woodcock, and we did actually see six. It was 
rather interesting, however, as one heard the bird 
coming, and could recognise its note long before it 
appeared, and there was great excitement among 
the guns until they had a shot at it. Our bag was 
one woodcock ! 

We got back rather more easily than we came, 
and, as it was about lo p.m., we had a supper, and 
then rested till midnight, when we started off again in 
the well-known traps. D. went by himself with a 
chasseur, and I will tell you his adventures first. 



i88o] CAPERCAILZIE 83 

His object was " capercailzie." This bird is shot in 
the middle of his love-song, the reason being, that he 
is so interested in his own performance that he can 
hear nothing else ; but, the moment he ceases to sing, 
his hearing becomes acute. 

The sportsman stalks him, and the moment the 
song begins he runs in its direction, stopping dead 
short when it ceases ; if he even puts his foot down 
after it ends, the bird hears, and is off. The night 
was too cold for serenading, and so D. walked and 
walked, hearing nothing and unable to say a word 
to his Russian chasseur. Once he was lost, and felt 
like a babe in the wood, and at last he was obliged to 
shout, even at the risk of disturbing all the birds of 
the air ; then another time his guide left him alone 
for an hour and a half while he went off to look about, 
and during this interval, the keeper having taken 
away his gun, D, saw the only bird that came near 
him that night. 

Now for our adventures I Miss Corry and I having 
steeplechased safely through the mud and over 
several ditches, arrived on a sort of com.mon, where 
we got out, and were conducted to two little huts 
formed of boughs. M. Narischkine and I were to be 
together in one, Miss Corry and M. Tchoglokoff in 
the other. I had to creep into mine on hands and 
knees, and inside I found some pillows and cloaks, 
and was requested to lie down and sleep till dawn. As 
there was only just room for two, I could scarcely 
keep my countenance when M. Narischkine began to 
stretch himself out for a rest, especially when I thought 
of Miss Corry and her companion in their hut. 

They took to talking, and, as we could hear their 
voices, my sportsman became greatly irritated, and 
at last shouted out to them to be silent. Our object 
was blackcock, and I was told that when the dawn 
came I should see them playing round my hut. 



84 BLACKCOCK [ch. ii 

Almost at the first faint glimmer of light I heard one 
crow, then another, then several, then a sort of 
cooing began all round one, and the flapping of wings, 
and the birds came so close that I could see them. 
Had we remained quiet another half-hour we should 
have been surrounded by them, and, as the morning 
was very light, I should have seen everything ; but 
M. Narischkine fired at some bird which flew over 
us, and then they went away, and never came back. 
Still, that first half-hour was delightful. The stillness 
first, and then the gradual awakening of nature with 
its sounds and sights, and the dramas of which we 
generally know nothing being enacted before our eyes ; 
all the tricks and the manners of these living creatures 
being revealed to us. I enjoyed it immensely, and was 
quite sorry when we had to creep out of our holes, 
and proceed after " gelinottes," of which we found 
none. We went to bed at 6 a.m. and slept, being 
very tired, till twelve, when we had breakfast, and 
then got into our steamer and returned here. We 
found news of all the new political appointments 
made at home awaiting us. 

April -^oth {Good Friday). — We went to church 
in the morning, and in the evening I went with Lord 
William to see the service in a private Greek chapel. 
The singing there was beautiful, and the service was 
very interesting. We were most kindly received 
and shown into a sort of box off the church, where we 
could sit down. The priests were dressed in black 
and silver ; there was a coffin in the centre of the 
chapel, and all the children of the family stood the 
whole service through, two hours, the only change 
they had being two or three prostrations they made, 
touching the floor with their foreheads. 

We were all given lighted candles to hold, and were 
told that when the procession was formed we might 
follow. There was a great deal of reading, some 



i88o] EASTER 85 

singing, much crossing and bowing, all very devout, 
and it was fine and touching when the coffin was 
lifted and carried through the house, every one follow- 
ing. We went through rooms full of the most lovely 
pictures, and arms and gold and silver things, the 
choir wailing, and each of us carrying a candle. I 
almost wondered that they liked to see the un-Orthodox 
taking part. When we got back to the chapel I 
returned to my seat, and soon the service was over. 
This is the most striking of the Greek services I have 
seen. We sat, but the real worshippers have to stand. 

Wednesday, May <-,th. — Miss Corry told me that 
on Easter Eve, being on duty, she stood from 1 1 till 
2.30 at night, and that she was ready to cry with 
fatigue. She was given three kisses by the Emperor 
and by the Grand Duke Serge. 

The children spent two afternoons in colouring 
eggs, and on Sunday we took them to give to the 
hospital children. 

Monday and Tuesday I paid a quantity of Easter 
visits , and wrote down my name at all the palaces . The 
weather is very fine and nice, and my whooping-cough 
patients (Victoria and Freddy) get out a good deal. 

The Bridge of Boats is being placed across the 
Neva. It is just by our house, and I fear will make 
our neighbourhood very noisy. It is not pretty 
either, and rather spoils our view. 

This afternoon we went to the fair, that is, D. and I 
and the children. They had several rides on wooden 
horses, and they also went into some chairs which 
revolved windmill fashion. 

We sent the little ones home after this, and Nelly, 
D., and I went into one of the temporary theatres 
where we saw a little piece capitally done, with 
wonderful changes of scenery, and very good dresses. 
In the evening Miss Corry and the Embassy dined 
with us. 



86 AN EASTER FEAST [ch. ii 

Thursday, 6th. — We were invited to an Easter 
feast. It usually takes place in the night, or rather, 
very early on Easter morning, and there are numerous 
appropriate dishes, but our hostess kept up the dissi- 
pation later in the week, and we were asked to 
luncheon. She is very kind, but very " strealy," 
and her lunch was like herself. First, something 
went wrong, and at 1.30 it did not appear to be 
ready, and the husband got impatient and said, 
" It will soon be two, and we dine at six, and how can 
I have any appetite ? " 

She replied cheerfully, " Oh, oui, nous allons, nous 
allons." 

" Oh, oui," replied he, " nous allons, nous allons, 
c'est comme un opera, n'est-ce pas ? " etc., etc. 

At last we were shown into a big room, where 
there was a dinner-table and a tea-table. We began 
with a little soup, then cold veal, cold ham, hard- 
boiled coloured eggs, cakes with doves sitting on them, 
a cake in the shape of a Paschal Lamb, butter made 
into fleecy lambs, and a kind of sour-cream-shape, 
which is a favourite dish here. Afterwards came 
some nice little cutlets. The only real novelty I saw 
was burnt salt, which they have for Holy Thursday ; 
it is black. 

As soon as we had eaten enough lunch we removed 
to the tea-table, and sat down there, drinking tea and 
eating cakes. 

Saturday, Sth. — I took some of the children to the 
Botanical Gardens, and, after their town life, they 
went into perfect ecstasies over the plants, especially 
the well-known ones, ivy, daisies, dandelions, etc. 

We asked M. Wassilitchki, the Curator, to show 
us the Hermitage. He was an excellent guide, 
showing us the best things both in pictures and anti- 
quities, and not obliging us, as experts generally do, 
to look at every fragment of dust, " which is 6,000 



i88o] PRESENTS TO THE CZAR 87 

years old." I do not attempt to tell you about the 
things described in so many good books, but as you 
will not read in any of them a description of the 
Emperor's twenty-fifth anniversary presents, I may 
mention them. 

They are in a room by themselves, the side of 
which looks just like a fancy bazaar, displaying an 
immense collection of what the Curator called " des 
cochonneries," pocket-handkerchiefs, slippers, towels, 
Oriental dresses, bits of em-broidery, filigree silver 
bracelets, fur cuffs, mats, a bright green rug with 
a yellow lion in the centre, etc., etc. Then there 
were many religious pictures, ikons, and a present 
from every town in Bulgaria, and heaps of addresses, 
and an enormous centre-piece in silver and gold, com- 
posed of coats-of-arms in many colours and other 
ornaments, which is interesting as being a present 
from a ci-devant serf, and a token of gratitude for his 
liberation. He has become a rich railway contractor. 
Saturday, i^th. — ^The great event of this day was 
the annual Parade held on the Champ de Mars by 
the Emperor, but I was obliged to go out early, a 
most unfortunate time to have an appointment, for, 
in the first place, I was in a great fuss to return home, 
and, in the second, the streets were so full of soldiers 
that even the plumes of my chasseur could scarcely 
make way for me. 

Coming back, I found myself quite blocked up, so 
I got out of the carriage and walked. When I got 
nearly home I had a bridge to cross, and there I found 
a policeman, who declined to let me pass ; seeing I 
could not explain, he wanted to take a card I had 
out of my hand, but as this bore a doctor's name and 
address I did not think it likely to prove an " Open 
Sesame," so I resisted that, and in extremely broken 
Russian said, " English Ambassador." I passed him, 
and got within two steps of my own door, when two 
7 



88 PARADE ON THE CHAMPS DE MARS [ch. ii 

more men stopped me, and I only succeeded in shaking 
them off by making a rush to the handle of the hall 
door and getting in, laughing very much at my adven- 
ture. 

I quickly changed my dress, and, getting into my 
carriage, which had returned, I went to the tent to 
which Madame de Schweinitz and I were invited by 
the Emperor. We were the only people there besides 
the Grand Duchesses and their ladies-in-waiting. 

There were 25,736 troops on the ground, and it 
was a magnificent sight. The day was lovely, and 
the variety of uniforms made a great effect. The 
Emperor arrived at twelve, surrounded by a brilliant 
staff of officers, Ambassadors, etc. He took up his 
position close to the tent, so that we saw him and 
everything else to perfection. As each detachment 
passed he said, " 'Tis well, I thank you " — and then 
all the men replied, as with one voice, " We are very 
glad to serve your Majesty." 

The cavalry have beautiful uniforms, and all the 
horses of each regiment are of the same colour, 
which has a very good effect. There is one regiment 
with a most old-fashioned and extraordinary head- 
dress, and all the soldiers in it are chosen with turned- 
up noSes ! because it is the Emperor Paul's regiment, 
and he had a turned-up nose (" tip-tilted " I should 
say). 

The last scene was, when all the cavalry rushed, 
or rather " charged," the tent. They enveloped us 
in dust, but it was very fine as far as we could see it. 

MOSCOW 

Though I have sent you my journal for so many 
years, I never sat down to write it before in a state 
of bewilderment as to what I should, and what I 
should not, tell you. I never had to describe any- 



i88o] MOSCOW 89 

thing which had previously been incorporated in a 
" Murray " — and I never started on an expedition so 
saturated with the essences of historical, archaeo- 
logical, and all the other " logical " knowledge which 
that good man puts at one's finger-ends. In fact, 
hitherto I have only had to think of my personal 
adventures and of the country, not the things in it ; 
so to-day, when I find myself expected to describe 
" Moscow," I feel most helpless. However, here goes. 

Wednesday evening, May 26th, at 6.30 p.m. — I 
routed up D. and hurried him into his great-coat, 
and got him into the carriage with Nelly and Archie 
and me, he saying, " Five minutes more would have 
made all the difference in his comfort," and " feeling 
sure " we were much too soon, and so we were — ^we 
had half an hour to wait ; but we were off, which is 
a great thing when you are starting on an expedition. 
Lord William arrived in about ten minutes, and then 
we took possession of a palatial car which will remain 
at Moscow to bring us back. 

At Luban we had an excellent dinner, and then we 
played games till it was time to retire to our respec- 
tive sofas. The night was very cold, and in the 
morning, when we found a pouring rain and a very 
cold air for our first day in Moscow, we felt as low as 
people on a holiday can feel. 

We had taken rooms at the " Slaviansky Bazar " 
Hotel. It is clean and very nice in every respect. 
Our bedrooms are very good rooms, and look like 
sitting-rooms, — the beds being hidden behind screens. 
I may say now, that my bed was most comfortable, 
and, as you will soon see, I earned a good night. 

We arrived early Thursday, 2'jth, and had some 
breakfast, which we took in the restaurant to the 
sound of splashing rain. 

• This meal over, we immediately began to sight-see. 
Count Bobrinski, to whom Count Schouvaloff had 



90 THE KREMLIN [ch. ii 

kindly telegraphed, and a Count Boehler came to 
see us, and gave us tickets for various things and 
promised to show us the Treasury, and the Palace in 
the Kremlin at once ; so we drove to the Treasury — 
and here the guide-book intervenes ! All the rooms 
in it are large and very lofty, and the most interest- 
ing things (to me) exhibited there are, first, a carriage 
with painted panels given by Queen Elizabeth to 
the Czar Boris Godunof, and a sleigh which looks 
like a glorified railway carriage, in which the Empress 
Elizabeth used to travel to Petrograd. There were 
in the same room several other lovely old carriages. 
Peter the Great's bed, Indian saddles, and quantities 
of silver chains which were used to keep the crowds 
off when the Czars drove through the streets. Up- 
stairs there is a fine collection of arms, and a most 
beautiful collection of old silver plate, given by the 
generous sovereigns of old days, when people were 
much more magnificent in their ideas than they are 
now. 

In one room we saw the crowns of the Emperors, 
and the robes and dresses they wear for their coro- 
nation, including the present Emperor's uniform, and 
the Empress's cloth-of-silver dress. In this room is 
the throne where Peter and his idiotic half-brother 
used to sit, with a hole at the back through which 
Sophia prompted the latter. I think in Russia one 
seems much nearer to history than at home, and I 
look upon Ivan the Terrible as a great deal more 
living than George IV, and half expected to meet 
Peter the Great himself at Moscow. 

We went through the Treasury into the Palace, 
the greater part of which is modern. The remark- 
able rooms are the St. Andrew's Hall, a most 
magnificent room 200 feet long by 68 wide ; it is 
much gilded, and must look beautiful at night. We 
went out of the window on to the terrace — but I 



I 



i88o] THE KREMLIN 91 

won't speak of Moscow itself till the sun shines. This 
room is hung with blue silk, the colour of the order 
of St. Andrew. 

The next very fine room is the Alexander Hall, 
and then comes the Hall of St. George. It is lighted 
by night by 2,095 candles. The names of the regi- 
ment and individuals who have the order are inscribed 
on the walls. 

The old part of the Palace was, to us, the most 
interesting. There is a little old room with seats 
in the thickness of the walls, where the Councillors 
used to sit and consult ; and then the Banqueting- 
hall, where at the time of the coronation the Emperor 
sits enthroned and dines alone in the midst of his 
nobles. 

Then the rooms of the Czarinas in four stories, 
each story growing smaller, till at the top you find 
the modest space considered necessary for a royal 
nursery in those days. 

Of course all these rooms are full of interesting 
things, about which it is quite impossible for me to 
tell you. 

Having seen all the modern living rooms in the 
Palace, we said good-bye to Count Bobrinski, and 
went off to see things on our own account. 

First we " did " the Cathedral of the Archangel 
Michael, a square building with five gilded domes. 
John the Terrible is buried here, and many other 
Czars lie under velvet coverings within the walls. 
Next we went into the Cathedral of the Assumption, 
the most sacred church in Russia ; the whole of the 
walls, pillars, and ceiling are covered with pictures. 
Here the Emperors are crowned, and here lies St. 
Philip, the Metropolitan, who was so badly treated by 
John the Terrible, and here we saw the Picture of the 
Virgin, said to have been painted by St. Luke. The 
jewels with which it is adorned are valued at £45,000. 



92 SIGHT-SEEING [ch. ii 

These churches are in the KremHn. Outside its 
walls we were attracted by a most curious building, 
which looks as if it had been in the sea for a year or 
two, and had come up with its brilliant colours 
mingled, and with sea-weed covering its domes. Of 
these there are eleven, one in the middle and ten 
round it. They are green and red, some smooth 
and others like the sides of a pine-apple. This is the 
Cathedral of St. Basil, and it is quite as curious inside 
as out. You go in and out of very narrow passages, 
into small chapels with fine altars, each cupola being 
a chapel, until at last you come to a place where you 
can look into the centre chapel, under the middle 
cupola. Its walls and columns are painted with 
fruits and flowers, and, on the whole, I think the Czar 
was not without excuse when he put out the architect's 
eyes so that he might never repeat his design. St. 
Basil's ought to remain unique. 

Do you suppose that after this we went home and 
rested ? not at all ; we proceeded to the Sacristy of 
the former Patriarchs, where we saw the robes they 
wore, weighing 60 lbs. each thickly embroidered in 
pearls, and worth ;^7,ooo apiece. Then the most 
amiable of sacristans showed us the place where the 
Holy Chrism is prepared by the Metropolitan of Mos- 
cow for all the churches of Russia, and the magnifi- 
cent silver vessels in which it is held, and then we 
drove off to the Romanoff House. This gives one an 
idea of a Russian home of the Middle Ages, but it 
has been restored, and is not an actual antiquity. 
The rooms are lined with wood and smell very sweet. 

The stoves are made of coloured tiles with pictures 
and mottoes on them ; for instance, one of a tortoise 
with " there is no better house than one's own " as a 
sentiment for him, in Russian of course. 

The steps up to the rooms were very narrow and 
very high, whereas in the Palace they were very 



i88o] MOSCOW 93 

broad and very low. When one does so much sight- 
seeing in a day, one begins to notice the quaUty of 
the stairs one has to mount. 

At last we went home, and although I bore up well 
for so far, when I got to my rooms I became conscious 
of a bad headache, which it required tea and a rest 
till dinner-time to get rid of. We dined at home. 
The cooking is good, and the bread and butter too 
delicious. We had a game of cards, and — Hurrah for 
bedl 

Friday, May 2Sth, — Oh I such a glorious sun ; with 
it rose our spirits ; we resolved to enjoy ourselves 
immensely, and so we did. Immediately after break- 
fast we got into an open carriage and left a few cards, 
saw something more of Moscow, drove round the 
Kremlin, and then mounted the Tower of Ivan to get 
a view of the town from a height. We are all en- 
chanted with Moscow, and think it the most lovely 
city ; no words can describe the effect of the Kremlin 
from a bridge where we stopped to look up at it ; 
below, the river with its strong embankment, the 
walls of the Kremlin rising above, broken by towers 
of various shapes, the sloping grass banks, the trees 
in their freshest green, the golden domes, the great 
Palace, and then Moscow itself surrounding this 
splendid fortress. Then from a height you look down 
upon the town, with its houses set in trees (for they 
rise up in lovely patches all through the streets), 
most of the houses roofed with green, and gleaming 
points of gold and colour studded everywhere. 
Even D., who has travelled so much in the East, 
says he never saw a more beautiful Oriental city. I 
believe that secretly we are each under the impres- 
sion that sunshine and verdure are peculiar to Moscow, 
as we left winter in Petrograd, and we revel in them 
accordingly. 

Perhaps if you came here straight from London, 



94 SIGHT-SEEING [ch. ii 

you might find the pavement bad, but we, who 
come from Petrograd, think it rather good than 
otherwise, and are quite enchanted when we get on 
to the asphalte in front of our hotel. 

Having made our tour of the walls, we entered the 
Kremlin by the Sacred Gate, where all the passengers 
take off their hats as they pass through, and drove 
to the great bell, which lies at the foot of the Tower 
of Ivan the Great. It weighs 444,000 lbs., and has 
a large piece broken out of its side by its fall from a 
wooden beam from which it was suspended. 

After examining it, we mounted the stairs, and 
stayed for a long time looking out upon ther glorious 
panorama below. When we came down we went 
again into the Church of the Assumption, and into 
the Cathedral of the Annunciation, where the Em- 
perors are married and baptized. When John the 
Terrible married a fourth wife he underwent a sort 
of excommunication, and the place is shown where he 
listened to Mass outside the sacred precincts. There 
is also a little seat in the wall where he used to sit 
in this church. There are holy pictures here too, 
but to us, who have no personal religious feeling about 
them, one looks very like another. Often one can 
scarcely ^ee the painting at all, as the head-dress 
and garments are laid on in gold, and ornamented with 
jewels. 

We returned home to lunch, and, after having 
rested a little, four of us went to see the Foundling 
Hospital. 

The irreverent Archie afterwards remarked that 
he would as soon have seen a collection of young 
mice ; but it is really very interesting, though (I 
think) a most immoral institution, as any such 
establishment must be where babies are taken in 
wholesale, without any sort of investigation, and 
where even married people can get rid of their " en- 




THE SACRED GATE. 
From a photograph- by Major Albemarle P. Blackwood. 



94l 



^ 



i88o] THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL 95 

cumbrances " without straining their consciences too 
far. We saw the whole thing from beginning to end. 
First we saw an infant arrive ; a poor woman brought 
it, handed it over, was asked no questions, except 
whether she wished it to be given any particular name. 
'* Yes, Pauline." It was taken out of her arms, and 
out of the very scanty clothing which covered it, 
was put into a " Foundling " cloth, popped into the 
scales, had a number tied round its neck, ** 749," a 
similar number was given to the woman, who then 
departed. The baby was taken straight into the 
next room, where we followed it, and in two minutes 
after its entrance and desertion it was in a bath, 
being washed and talked to by a woman who for 
forty years has done nothing but wash babies on 
their first arrival. We also saw, in this department, 
peasant wet-nurses arriving to take infants into the 
country, for they are all sent off in six or seven days 
to families, who get three roubles a month for keep- 
ing and feeding them ; and downstairs, we " inter- 
viewed " six calves kept for the vaccination of the 
babies. 

The arrivals-of-the-day remain downstairs till the 
next morning, when they take their places in the 
rows and rows of little cradles which one sees upstairs. 
The moment " 749 " came out of her bath, she was 
given to a wet-nurse in a picturesque costume. About 
fifty babies come in every day. 

The building is enormous, and all the wards are the 
same. One side of the passage is an immense long 
room down each side of which is a row of cots, 
and a row of wet-nurses with red caps, and white 
chemisettes, and reddish cotton gowns, the throat 
very open, and generally adorned with a necklace. 
These all make a profound salaam to our conduc- 
tress, the head of the Institution, who is a nice, 
pretty woman. The ward opposite is a little warmer. 



96 A RUSSIAN DINNER [CH. ii 

and is for sick and dying babies : a sad sight ; 
premature little mites swaddled into melancholy 
bundles. Some poor atoms have life kept in them a 
few hours longer by sleeping in hollow copper ber- 
ceaunettes lined with hot water. The place was 
beautifully clean and well aired ; but I need not give 
you all the details of medicine-closets, linen-cupboards, 
etc., so I will only add that there were 600 babies 
in the house to-day, but that they often have 1,000. 

We went back to the hotel to fetch D., and then 
we got a troika with four horses abreast, and drove 
out to Sparrow Hill. This is the spot from which 
Napoleon first saw Moscow. The view is lovely, 
and we enjoyed the drive very much, and spent half 
an hour there, while the accomplished members of 
our party (D. and Lord William) made sketches. 

On our return to Moscow we went to dine at the 
" Moscovski Traktir," a restaurant, where we had 
previously ordered a thoroughly Russian dinner. 

The waiters probably thought us a little mad, as 
we began by eating three sorts of soup ; first a cold 
iced soup of kvass with pieces of herring and cucumber 
and meat floating in it, called okroshka, then stchi, 
a cabbage soup, to which you add sour cream, 
and thirdly a bouillon of fish, which I thought 
decidedly nasty. Next came rastigai — patties of 
the isinglass and flesh of the sturgeon (very good) ; 
then Pojarsky cutlets, which have penetrated to 
England, and roast mutton stuffed with buck- 
wheat, two very good puddings, the last being a 
combination of an ice and a jelly ; wine from the 
Caucasus, and the universal cup of coffee to finish 
up with. 

After dinner we went to some gardens, called the 
" Hermitage," where the gentlemen shot at china 
animals, and paid extra when they broke them ; 
where we saw one act of Les Cloches de Corneville, 



II 



i88o] THE SIMONOFF MONASTERY 97 

saw a clown performing, had a cup of tea, and at 
last, home to bed I 

Saturday, May 2gth. — We have been dying to do 
some shopping, and to see the Gostinyi Dvor, so we 
consecrated this morning to it, but were much dis- 
appointed with it and its contents. 

" O. K." (Madame Novikoff) lunched with us, and 
then we drove to the " Simonoff " Monastery. It is 
about an hour's drive from town, and, after going 
along rather an ugly road, we came upon a most 
picturesque building, commanding a lovely view of 
Moscow. 

Outside the walls there were smooth green grass 
and old trees, and immediately under them a straight 
row of what looked like orange-trees, and the walls 
themselves were crowned with curious- shaped towers ; 
inside there rose a very high belfry, and the numerous 
cupolas of a church, everything full of colour, and 
glistening in the sun. Then we went through the 
gateway, and found ourselves in an old-fashioned 
garden, with rows of the " imitation orange-trees," 
and hedges of lilac, sweet smells pervading the air. 
Immediately round the church was a graveyard with 
some curious old tombstones in it. We climbed the 
belfry (310 steps), and admired the view, and walked 
about and had tea outside the walls, and then came 
in again and sat on the grass and enjoyed ourselves. 
Conscience did ask aloud, whether we considered we 
were thoroughly doing our duty as tourists, and 
whether we did not think we ought to be rushing in 
and out of museums, etc. ; but we boldly answered, 
" No, we are thoroughly enjoying Moscow, and are 
storing up agreeable recollections of the place, and 
what would you have more, you absurd and exacting 
Conscience ? " 

He, she, or it has been silent ever since. 

This night we dined at home, and had intended 



98 TROITZKY MONASTYR [ch. ii 

to drive out and see a Park after dinner ; but when 
our driver heard our destination he struck work, so 
we ignominiously got out of the carriage and walked 
up to look at the Kremlin by night. 

Sunday, ^oih. — Every one here seems to consider 
it absolutely necessary that we should see the Troitzky 
Monastyr, so we hardened our hearts and deter- 
mined to get up at 5 a.m., and to go by the early 
train, which we did. When we reached the station 
there we were surprised to find a carpet laid down, 
and a semi-royal reception prepared for us. We got 
into carriages, and drove to the monastery. I do not 
like it nearly so well as Simonoff, and the great 
interest felt in it by Russians must be chiefly religious. 

We had a very kind and voluble lady to show us 
everything ; she is the head of some charitable in- 
stitutions which have only just been separated from 
the monastery. We saw a great many churches, 
the refectory, the charities, and the arrangements 
for feeding all the pilgrims who come here. We were 
given coffee by the Archimandrite, and photographs 
and rosaries he brought from Jerusalem, and our 
lady-guide gave us tea and books, and some of the 
sacred bread, and we bought things made at the 
convent,* and then we said we should like to go on 
to see another monastery and some catacombs two 
miles farther off. 

Ladies are not admitted to this monastery, but an 
exception was made in our favour, and we saw a very 
nice old chapel, all wood, and in the real old Russian 
style. We walked through the gardens to the cata- 
combs, and there, underground in the darkness and 
the damp, we saw a cell and a man who has lived 
in it twenty years. He looked wonderfully well 
considering. 

Outside the Troitzky Monastyr there was a market, 
and it was very interesting to see the crowd of Russian 



i88o] DEATH OF THE EMPRESS 99 

peasants in their very gay-coloured clothes doing 
business out there, and inside the walls others attend- 
ing to their prayers. 

We returned to Moscow in the afternoon and I went 
to see the Temple of the Saviour, a very large new 
church, begun in 1812 but not yet finished. It is 
really very fine, light and lofty, with some fine paint- 
ings, a beautiful marble floor and screen. 

We left Moscow that evening, and had rather fun 
in the train, playing " innocent games." 

D. and I found that we were invited to dine with 
the Prince d 'Oldenburg, who is now living in the 
Islands. He is at the head of most of the charities, 
and so immediately asked if I had seen the Foundling 
Hospital at Moscow : " Very fine institution, but a 
great want of wet nurses," he said ; then — " there is a 
very fine one here, and no want of wet nurses, thank 
God." This expression of gratitude has become 
rather a habit with this good old man, who told me 
later that he did not smoke, " thank God." 

We all sat out of doors, and saw the people driving 
out to the Point, where the fashionable world goes 
to see the sun set. D. and I drove out there after- 
wards ; we saw plenty of fashion, but little beauty. 

Thursday, June -^rd. — ^The Empress died this morn- 
ing at 7 .30 . By the afternoon we were all in mourning. 
We have not yet received oi^.r orders, but I believe 
the mourning is only for six months, and that we 
Diplomats only attend one funeral service. The 
servants' liveries and the harness have to be black. 

The Empress lies in state, first of all in her room, 
then in the chapel at the Winter Palace, then at the 
Fortress. Four maids of honour keep watch by her. 
Miss Corry told me she looks very nice, her bed 
entirely, covered with white tulle and flowers, her 
head surrounded with the same, 

I went to order a crepe bonnet and found ail the 



100 FUNERAL OF THE EMPRESS [ch. ii 

black being bought up quickly. My head-dress for 
the funeral is a Marie Stuart cap, with a crepe veil 
at the back and one over my face ; a long black 
gown trimmed with crepe. 

Monday, June yth. — ^To-day I attended a service at 
the Fortress. The Empress's body was transported 
there from the Palace, and there was a very grand 
procession, which of course I missed seeing, as I had 
to be in the church. The morning was fearful as to 
weather, though I believe it cleared at the time the 
procession started. The principal features of this 
procession were : the Empress's own gala carriage 
drawn by eight horses, a magnificent thing all gold 
and silver ; the hearse, which was gold and white, 
with an imperial mantle thrown over the coffin, the 
Emperor and the Imperial family riding behind, all 
the priests in gold and white vestments, etc. 

Our balcony is in black petticoats, the lamp-posts 
(the lamps are never lighted now) are swathed in black, 
and we ladies are in the most sombre mourning. 

When I got to the church I found all the Corps 
Diplomatique assembled. We were given chairs, so 
we sat there till the procession arrived. The coffin 
was lifted in by the Grand Dukes, and placed under 
a magnificent catafalque of gold and silver cloth 
lined with ermine (the latter an imitation) ; under 
this was a red velvet dais, with a rest for the coffin ; 
the Imperial mantle was thrown over this, leaving 
the face and head uncovered, and the relations all 
bowed over it and kissed it. The Grand Duchesses 
and Dukes stood in front of us, and I could see the 
Emperor well. 

He bowed to us when he came in and when he left. 
The singing was beautiful, and the service short. The 
family all kissed the Empress again, and went, and, 
as I saw the rest of the world going up to the coffin, 
I went too. The face had a veil of tulle over it and 



i88o] FUNERAL OF THE EMPRESS loi 

looked like wax. The Imperial family attend a 
service every morning and evening till the funeral, 
and the body is exposed all the time, except from 
5-7 in the morning. I must not forget to tell you 
that the reason the priests were in white, and that 
the catafalque was not black is, that the Greek 
Church never mourns during the first fortnight after 
Easter. The funeral is on Wednesday, and Thursday 
being a Fete-day (Ascension Day), we all go into 
colours for the day. 

A Herald in black and gold, followed by a detach- 
ment of Life Guards, has just passed by giving the 
orders for to-morrow. 

Wednesday , gth. — ^This morning we left our house 
before ten, and drove to the Fortress. The Church 
arrangements were the same as yesterday ; but, as a 
great number of " illustrious strangers " have arrived, 
there was more glory of uniforms, very slightly veiled 
by the bit of crepe covering the gold and silver on 
them. 

There were the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Crown 
Prince of Germany, and the Crown Prince of Den- 
mark, and an Austrian Archduke, and the Queen of 
Greece, and Prince Alexander of Hesse (who truly 
mourns his sister) and many " Ambassadors Extra- 
ordinary " with their suites, and all the candles were 
lighted, and there were wreaths of flowers ready to 
be put on the coffin ; and the four maids of honour 
stood at their posts at the corners of the bier, and 
two or three officers with drawn swords stood there 
too ; and when the family came in there was a crowd 
of very fine young men, and the Grand Duchesses, 
also looking very handsome, with their veils and long 
black gowns relieved by the red ribbon of an Order. 

The singing was very beautiful, and the chanting 
went on and on, and we (diplomats) sat down 
occasionally and rested till twelve, when the Emperor 



102 A SUMMER HOUSE [ch. ii 

came. Then everybody held a lighted candle for a 
portion of the service, and, at the end, all the relations 
went up to the coffin and kissed the Empress, and 
then the sons and nephews lifted the coffin, and put 
it down into the tomb prepared for it, the Imperial 
mantle being thrown over all. 

Monday, 14th. — I started early in the morning, 
accompanied by Hermie, to go to Merikiill, there to 
make arrangements for the children's arrival at their 
seaside house. 

I felt rather nervous about it, as I chose it in the 
depth of winter, and feared the improvement in its 
appearance might not be as great as I had expected. 

At Narva our Consul met us, and put us into a 
carriage, which took us to our wooden castle here at 
" Schmetzky " near Merikiill. We were very busy 
all day arranging the rooms and looking about us. I 
am very much pleased with the place. There are 
splendid sands, and the unsalt sea looks very like 
the real article. Then on the other side of us we 
have pine woods, and in the garden there are gym- 
nastics, which are a great joy. 

The other children arrived next day, and on 
Thursday Archie came, and on Saturday D. ; so I 
am going to tell you all about the week at once as 
we do the same thing every day. 

We sit out in the lovely sunshine, sometimes on 
the balcony, sometimes on the sands, and in the 
afternoon we take a nice walk through the woods to 
Merikiill and come back by the sands. When there 
we listen to a band that plays on a charming promen- 
ade, or the children do gymnastics, and then we come 
back to dinner and stay out afterwards till bedtime, 
or read by the daylight till eleven p.m. 

On Sunday afternoon we made a long expedition 
to a place called Uddrias, where we had chocolate 
and brown bread. We took a carriage to accompany . 



i88o] LAKE LADOGA 103 

us, and we each took turns to drive in it. The invahd 
Freddie went with us, and was very happy, and much 
dehghted with everything. He looks wonderfully 
better now. 

Friday, July 2nd. — D. and I, Colonel Villiers, and 
Lord Frederick Hamilton went by train to the 
Schweinitz, who gave us an early dinner, and took 
us a charming drive to Peterhof . 

There we visited the Palace, and Peter the Great's 
little house called " Mon Plaisir," and we were for- 
funate enough to see the fountains play. They are 
Very fine. The drive through the Parks and the 
view of the sea are lovely, but I believe on dark 
days Peterhof is very gloomy. In the Palace one 
room is papered with portraits of pretty ladies ; they 
are small squares, and each one touches the other. 
There are some rather nice full-length pictures of 
maids of honour dancing. 

Wednesday, 2Sth. — ^Mr. Parish having asked us 
down to Schliisselburg for two days, he and Mrs. 
Parish came to fetch us at five o'clock, and we set 
off towards Lake Ladoga in a small steamer. 

In about an hour's time we reached a cotton-mill 
belonging to our hosts, Messrs. Parish and Hubbard, 
and thejre we had a reflection of a Canadian reception, 
flags and bouquets and fire engines. We looked into 
some of the rooms of the cotton-mill, and then got 
on board the yacht which was waiting for us here. 

She is called the U dacha (Success), and is a good- 
sized steamer. We dined on board, and reached 
Schliisselburg at ten. 

The Firm have a large house here, in which the 
manager of the printing works lives, with his wife and 
ten children in the lower stories, while the upper one, 
which is very nicely arranged, is kept for the owners 
when they come here. There is a nice garden, and 
the manufactory looks yery clean and bright ; the 
8 



104 SCHLUSSELBURG [ch. ii 

Neva flows in front, and to the right there is the great 
lake, with the Fortress of Schliisselburg in the fore- 
ground. 

Thursday, 2gth. — Directly after breakfast we went 
all over the works, and saw how much trouble, and 
what valuable machinery it takes to produce a six- 
penny yard of print for a dress 1 It was very inter- 
esting. Afterwards they gave an alarm of fire, and 
all the people rushed to their engines, and Lake 
Ladoga was turned on to put out the imaginary 
flames. 

Friday, ^oth. — Happily the weather had improved, 
so we set off in the yacht, first to visit the Fortress 
of Schliisselburg, which, although it occupies the 
whole of an island between the Neva and Lake 
Ladoga, and so is a prey to every wind, managed to 
smell very bad. 

There was not very much to see. " The Archives," 
which they volunteered to show us, were in an old 
lumber-room, piled up, without any attempt at 
arrangement, and the half jocular proposition made 
by one of the party, that we should carry off a few 
of the old papers, was met with the most ready " Yes." 
The gentlemen each took a shot at some targets, 
representing Turks, at which the soldiers were firing, 
and made much better practice than they did, D. 
and Terence both hitting the enemy in vital parts. 

The Commander came just as we were leaving, 
and was much upset at not having known sooner who 
D. was. He gave us his boat to put us on board, 
and told us how he had been in the Crimea, had been 
left for dead on a field of battle, and had been rescued 
and nursed by a lady, whom he afterwards married. 

We went a little way in to Lake Ladoga, and then 
anchored the yacht, and separated for shooting and 
fishing. The fishers got nothing, but the others 
brought back nine snipe and eight duck. 



i 



i88o] A BEAR-HUNT 105 

When we got back to Schliisselburg we fished 
again till dinner-time with small success. 

Saturday, Dec. 2$th. — ^A bear-hunting expedition ! 
Up at six, and off at eleven, in a troika. A dark 
morning, but happily only four degrees of frost. D. 
and I were together in one sleigh, and in a great 
close carriage Count Schouvaloff ^ (our host), M. 
Nigra, and General Werder came after us. 

We changed horses once, and at 9.30 reached 
Count Schouvaloff 's country house. We breakfasted 
in a room surrounded by all the birds and beasts to 
be found about there, stuffed. At ten we set off 
again, and drove twenty-four versts more. About 
five versts from the place we each got into a little 
cart-sleigh and had a very amusing drive. The 
rough Finnish ponies go very fast, and, as the snow 
is in deep ruts, one is always on the point of being 
upset, and the driver puts down a leg on one side, or 
leans over the cart on the other, so as to prevent the 
catastrophe. 

When we reached the beaters we all lapsed into 
silence, and began to trudge through the wood — a 
very tiring performance to me, with my great felt 
boots and long heavy Ulster ; however, I got on 
very well, and D. and I were placed in the second 
place, with a Royal Chasseur holding an enormous 
spear, in case the bear should attack us. 

We had about ten minutes' excitement, listening to 
the howls of the beaters, then we heard shots, and a 
shout which told that the bear was shot, and that 
without our having seen him. We ran to the place, 
and Count Schouvaloff was very anxious that I should 
fire into the poor animal, and " finish him " (he was 
really quite dead), but of course I refused. Then we 
all examined the prize, a very fine bear, and they 
have given it to me. 

^ Late Ambassador to England. 



io6 A DIPLOMATIC PARTY [ch. ii 

When we had trudged out of the wood again we 
found lunch set out on the snow, and what do you 
think we had to eat ? First, a Russian fish pie, and 
then plum-pudding and mince-pies ! It was your 
Christmas Day. 

We drove home in the same way that we came, and 
had tea at Count Schouvaloff's, half-way. Here I 
found the children much excited over some presents 
they had received in their stockings, and I must not 
forget to tell you that before we started in the 
morning D. and I found ours tied to our bedposts, 
full of various works of theirs. Our Christmas really 
lasts a fortnight, for there are a few presents on 
the 25th, and then Christmas- cards keep dropping in, 
and then the tree comes on January 6th. 

December 2gth, 20th, sisi. — I must finish off this 
year by telling how you I spent the last three days. 
Wednesday, I selected a district of the town, and in 
it went a tour of visits, " house-to-house visiting " — 
while on Thursday I stayed at home, and received 
seventy-five people. In the evening we went to a 
party at Madame Chanzy's. She is at home every 
Thursday. One enters and sees five Japanese, four 
Chinamen, a few Turks, Persians, Roumanians, 
besides specimens of all the other civilised nations, 
standing in the middle of the room. Through an 
interpreter one says a few words to the Japanese 
Minister, then one turns round and asks the " Marquis 
Tseng " some foolish question in English ; after that 
one has a round with the Turk (or several Turks), 
with the Italians, the Germans, the Austrians, the 
Swedes, the Brazilians, and finally, one makes one's 
way up to the farther end of the room, where two 
or three ladies are sitting, and one spends ten minutes 
again with an interpreter, talking to the Japanese 
lady. When one wants a change, one has a cup of 
tea, and then, having found out where all the old 



i88o] THE ICE HILLS 107 

habitues spent their summer and when they came 
back, and how all the new people like Russia, and 
when they arrived, one gladly slips away home. 
Friday afternoon (31st), I voluntarily spent in the 
society of the Japanese lady. She is very ladylike 
and dignified, and, at the same time, much delighted 
with any amusement she can get. 

She is learning to skate, and we asked her to come 
and try the tobogganing hills. We drove out to them 
and she came with the Americans. She enjoyed it 
so much, and her little secretary was so delighted, 
and went twice down the slide by himself, each time 
getting the most tremendous falls, and rolling over 
like a rabbit that has been shot. She can just say 
" Merci," but she is learning French, and has a lesson 
every day. 



CHAPTER III 



OUR SECOND WINTER IN PETROGRAD 

Sunday, i6th — Wednesday, igth,Jan. 1881. — Real cold 
weather. The thermometer from ten to twelve below 
zero (Fahrenheit)^ It is not so nice as in Canada, where 
one could go out to walk or skate ; here one has to 
pay visits, and getting in and out of a carriage is ven 
disagreeable. I kept the children in, and the^ 
amused themselves by dressing up. 

Tuesday evening I went to a party. It was a really ' 
smart party in a Russian house. The rooms were 
large and well lighted, and every one was very welL 
dressed, the gowns new and fresh. Last year, witl 
the perpetual fear of mourning, the girls never seemed^ 
to have any new clothes. 

The entertainment began with the gipsies, who sang^ 
The music is curious, but in a drawing-room a littlt 
goes a long way, and they spoil the effect by wearing 
old ball-dresses which fit them badly and are half-i 
dirty. The dancing especially is spoilt by this. T( 
see a lady in a train get up and, with wild screams, 
run about trembling through every fibre of her body,j 
is, to say the least, incongruous. 

Friday, March 4th. — We had our third ant 
last ball before Lent this evening, and I think it was 
the best of the three. There were just the right 
number of people, and they all looked very pretty^ 
The invitations were for 220, and we sat down k 
to supper at 2.30. I was very pleased with this 
party. 

J08 



i88i] ASSASSINATION OF THE CZAR 109 

Sunday, 6th. This is a great day here — a journee 
folk for most people ; they dance all afternoon, 
and stop at midnight, if the clocks have not previously 
done so ; or rather, the clocks stop at eleven and the 
people stop at twelve. There is no dancing in Lent, 
nor does it begin again after. 

Sunday, i^th. — ^We went to church in the morning, 
but D. went to a manege where the Ambassadors have 
an occasional chance of seeing the Emperor. D. had 
just come in and taken off his uniform when I went 
out with the two girls to visit a sick woman. She 
lives quite near us, and on the way we saw a wretched 
horse with a broken leg being dragged along by 
soldiers. 

When we got into the house the poor woman, who 
was in tears, said to me, " Is it true ? " " What ? " 
" Why, that there has been an attempt on the 
Emperor, and that, if not killed, he is wounded." 
Then she told me she heard two explosions, and that 
he was certainly wounded. I almost ran the whole 
way home to tell D. and at the door I met the secre- 
taries coming with the news, — and then one of the 
Chancery men told us that he heard the bombs, and 
then saw the Emperor's carriage with the back and 
side blown out. D. went off to the Palace, and I 
have just seen Mr. Kennedy, who went with him and 
who has left him there. He says a shell was thrown 
under the Emperor's carriage, which destroyed it 
but did not wound him ; he got out, and another was 
thrown, wounding him seriously — and they fear he 
will die. I cannot tell you what a fearful impres- 
sion it makes upon one, such cruel, persistent murder. 
I sit at the window and watch for D.'s return while I 
write. Soldiers are going about in every direction, 
and sleighs bringing all the people who have just 
heard it to the Palace. I believe D. had great 
difficulty in getting in ! 



no DEATH OF THE CZAR [ch. hi 

The wretched horse we saw was one ridden by a 
Cossack close to the carriage, — for you know, since 
these attempts, the Emperor is always surrounded 
by mounted soldiers. 

4.30. — It is all over. He is dead. D. has not 
returned yet, but one of the Court officials has 
brought word. He was insensible when D. arrived 
there. It is indeed terrible, and I feel much for all 
those left. 

Monday, 14th. — ^The whole story is this. After 
the parade, the Emperor went and breakfasted with 
the Grand Duchess Catherine, and on his way back 
a bomb was thrown at his carriage, which killed 
a Cossack, wounded some people and horses, and 
smashed his carriage, which, however, could have 
taken him home. Instead of driving on, he got out, 
crossing himself as he did so, and looked round. A 
second bomb was thrown at his feet and exploded. 
He was picked up insensible, and taken home in the 
carriage of the Police Officer, who was also wounded. 
He died in two hours. When D. arrived at the 
Palace, he could scarcely get in, but he insisted, and 
then he saw the Grand Duke Vladimir, who told him 
there was no hope. A priest arrived at the same time. 

At the Parade he talked to D. and spoke with 
great affection of the Duchess of Edinburgh. This 
morning there is a proclamation from the new 
Emperor — ^Alexander HI. 

All the afternoon D. was busy telegraphing to the 
Queen, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Edinburgh, etc. 

The Russians go to the Palace to congratulate the 
new Emperor. " Le roi est mort, vive le roi ! " 

In the afternoon I went to see my friends the 
Schouvaloffs. He had been to Court in the morning 
and said it was a most painful ceremony ; every one 
dressed as for a great fete, but all crying. The new 
Emperor and Empress terribly overcome. They say 



i88i] SERVICE IN THE PALACE iii 

she cries all the time, even in the carriage, driving 
along, when he had to keep acknowledging the salu- 
tations of the people. The young Cesarevitch, too, 
cried during all the service. 

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrive on 
Wednesday, and the funeral is to be on the 26th. 

You will find this letter very disjointed, but I put 
down the things as I hear them. 

Wednesday, 16th. — Last night there was a service 
at the Palace. It was for the translation of the 
body from the room to the chapel. 

We walked through long galleries and rooms and 
found crowds of people there. Then we found 
ourselves among the maids of honour, and two of them 
were most kind, and said to me, " Stay with us." 
Otherwise my position was a little uncomfortable, as I 
did not know to what category I belonged, and people 
were all placed in different rooms according to rank. 
These two were very tall, so they put me in front of 
them, when we formed in two lines for the'procession to 
pass through. Of course I meant to look at everything, 
but it really was such a sad moment that one forgot 
to look. What I did see was, first, the priests and 
choristers marching through singing, then the lid 
of the coffin borne by four men, then the coffin itself 
with the Emperor lying in it, the face exposed ; we 
all knelt down here. I did not see the new Emperor, 
but I saw the Empress, who seemed to have cried 
away all beauty from her face for the moment. 

When they had passed, the big maid of honour 
took my arm, and dragged me along with them all, 
and got me right into the chapel where very few 
people were able to penetrate. 

There was a great golden catafalque with gold 
curtains lined with (imitation) ermine, and at the 
end of the service the royal family went up one by 
one to kiss the body. 



112 GLOOMY FOREBODINGS [ch. hi 

I must tell you one strange effect. The service 
was just over, but the priest in a monotonous voice 
was reading the Gospel as the Imperial family walked 
out, and then, in the very midst of this funeral rite, 
one heard the soldiers outside greeting their new 
Emperor. They all say together some sentence ; it 
has the effect of a cheer. D. saw him walk through 
them, and said he looked very fine and majestic. 

I got out easily, but D. had great difficulty in getting 
in — such crowds of people. 

My big maid of honour and her mother were very 
good to me after, and would not leave me till D. got 
back to me. 

The body will be moved to the fortress on Friday, 
and lies in state there till Saturday week. The Gospel 
is read over it without ceasing all that time. 

Thursday, lyth. — D. and I went to call upon the 
/" Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, but D. only saw the 
Duke. 

One does nothing but listen to gloomy forebodings, 
and stories of the " incapacity of the police," and 
the " inefficiency of everybody." The mine now 
found in a street through which the Emperor might 
have returned is an immense affair, and, had it been 
sprung,1iouses and hundreds of people would have been 
destroyed. It appears this very place was marked 
as a suitable spot for a mine, on a map which the 
Government got last year. The people living in the 
house were under suspicion, and the house was visited 
a fortnight ago, but nothing was found. 

Last night we were told there was a mine on the 
Quay a little way below us, but it was not true. 

Saturday, igth. — ^The day of the first ceremony 
connected with the funeral. I did not intend to try 
to see the procession, but, at the last moment, D. 
persuaded me to go with him and the children to 
Mrs. Clark's, whose windows had a splendid view of it. 



i88i] THE FUNERAL PROCESSION 113 

Mr. George Augustus Sala appeared at breakfast, 
having come here on behalf of the Daily Telegraphy 
and we took him with us. 

We started at 9.30, and got to the house without 
much difficulty. Almost the best part of the sight 
was the crowd. I never saw such a mass of people 
swaying to and fro ; they had to be kept back by 
soldiers, and it was quite fearful to see the way in 
which they were pushed about. Some quite well- 
dressed women were there, and that they should 
escape with their lives seemed almost impossible. 

There was such a curious effect when all the men 
took off their hats, and when, instead of looking down 
upon a blackish mass, one saw a sea of pink faces and 
fuzzy light brown hair. 

The greatest precautions were taken all along the 
route of the procession. An inspector was sent in 
charge of each house, the garrets were locked, and 
the roofs were forbidden as standing places. Most 
of them were draped in black. 

As to the procession, it was a great disappointment. 
On paper it sounded beautiful, but it was so strag- 
gling that one never quite knew when it had begun. 
The only striking bits of it were, a most gorgeous 
man in gold armour sitting on a white horse covered 
with a crimson and gold cloth, and a man in black 
armour walking behind him ; but these two passed 
quite by themselves, and nothing more appeared for 
a long time. 

Then the funeral car, all gold, with cloth-of-gold 
curtains, and surmounted by white plumes, was fine, 
the Emperor walking on foot behind it . The Empress 's 
carriage was covered with black cloth. Another 
thing that would have looked well, had the gentlemen 
only marched better and looked more stately, was, 
the group of officers carrying golden cushions on 
which were fastened the late Emperor's orders, and 



114 SERVICE IN THE FORTRESS [ch. hi 

his crowns, but there was nothing imposing in the 
way these bearers walked. 

When we had seen the most interesting part of the 
procession, we struggled down a side-street in our 
carriage and hurried round to the fortress. The 
gates were closed, and we had to walk in. 

We got there some time before the procession, and 
saw all the people coming in. The cushions, with 
the sceptre, crowns, and decorations, were laid on 
stands prepared for them, and the Grand Dukes 
carried in the coffin and laid it in its place. 

To any one assisting at the service once, it is all 
very sad, and one is astonished to see those most 
concerned shedding no tears ; but when one comes to 
think that every day, from the death to the funeral 
(next Sunday) the same service, and the same fare- 
well to the body is gone through twice a day, one can 
understand how it becomes a mere ceremonj'". The 
service is not very long, and at the end of it all the 
family go up to the coffin and kiss the body. The 
Emperor's face was covered with a piece of muslin. 

In the afternoon I wrote my name down on all the 
Royalties, and paid one or two gloomy visits. Every 
day I hear horrid stories and melancholy forebodings 
for the future. Lady Harriet Grimston dined with 
us, and the Equerry, Captain L'Estrange, came in the 
evening. He is brother to Mrs. Laurence Oliphant. 

Monday, 21st. — ^We went out to the ice hills to 
brush away the cobwebs. The sun was shining, and 
I felt quite cheerful, till I paid a visit on my way 
back, and listened again to all the despairing talk that 
goes on. One thing I was told was that, in Petro- 
grad, two million francs are spent on police, as com- 
pared to eleven million spent in Paris for the safety 
of the same number of people ; what ruinous economy 1 
Also, that the Russian character is entirely unsuited 
for police purposes — they take everything so easily. 



i88i] ARRIVAL OF PRINCE AND PRINCESS 115 

For example, an ojDficer examined the house where the 
mine was, two days before, and discovered nothing ! 
He was to have been tried, but has blown out his 
own brains. His defence was, that he was not told 
that there was any suspicions about the house, and 
was only asked to see if it was damp ! The Emperor 
has changed the head of the force ; the new police- 
man is a sailor. 

Petrograd is cram- full of royalties. May they all 
get safe home ! 

Thursday, 24th. — D. went to Gatchina to meet the 
Prince and Princess of Wales, ^ and at four I went 
to the station here, 

I arrived a quarter of an hour before the time and 
was shown into a waiting-room, where I found all 
the Grand Dukes, who offered me tea and were very 
civil. Then all the Grand Duchesses came, and then 
the Empress. 

When the train was heard coming we went out to 
the platform, and then there was a tremendous on- 
slaught of kisses — " Kisses to right of them, and kisses 
to left of them " ; kisses on hands and cheeks, kisses 
between men and men, and then every one got oif as 
best they could, and I, finding that Miss Knollys 
was going to the hotel, invited her here, and, as she 
is very pleasant, and glad to be here, and as she 
hardly ever sees her Princess, it is very nice having her. 

Friday, 25^/5. — D. and I went to the Anitchkoff 
Palace, where the Prince and Princess are, to write 
down our names, and D. saw the Prince. The Queen 
has informed D. that she looks to him for the safety 
of the Prince, so I, at any rate, am very nervous 
about this week, and long for it to be over. All 
the English suite dined with us — Sir John Cowell, 
Lord Suffield, Sir Dighton Probyn, Colonel Stanley 
Clarke, Colonel Teesdale. 

1 King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, 



ii6 FUNERAL OF THE CZAR [ch. hi 

Saturday, 26th. — ^The Prince of Wales came to see 
us this afternoon. I hope he appreciated our stair- 
case, which is all draped in black. We showed him 
the house, and he had some tea, and Freddie and 
Victoria were introduced, and he was very kind and 
nice. All his suite dined with us. 

Sunday, 2jth. — ^The funeral is over, and I am so 
thankful for it. I confess I felt horribly nervous 
when I considered what a number of royalties would 
be all under one roof and what a haul the Nihilists 
would get, if only they could send one little bomb 
into their midst. I considered whether it would not 
be best to leave Nelly at home to look after the 
younger ones, in case such a catastrophe should occur, 
but D. threw cold water on this precaution ; so I put 
her on a cap and veil, and when she came into the 
church with me many people wondered who that 
jeune dame could be. 

We had to be there at 10.30, and I stood in a 
crowd in a very hot church, full of incense, for four 
hours. 

The Russian royal family arrived at the same time 
as we did, but the foreign princes only came in at 
twelve after the Mass, and for the funeral service. 

The catafalque, old gold and imitation ermine, took 
up the centre of the church ; on the steps of the 
platform stood the Emperor, Empress, and some of 
the Grand Duchesses and royal guests. On the floor 
close by came a circle of Ambassadors and their 
wives, then the Ministers, and, in front of us all, miles 
of Grand Dukes ; I never saw such tall young men 
as they are ! The whole church was perfectly full, 
and all the men were in uniform. It was difficult to 
find kneeling room, but it was a great relief to change 
one's position for a few minutes in the midst of such 
a long service. 

At the end of it, all the family took a final leave 



i88i] THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES 117 

of the body ; the coffin was covered over by them, 
and then the Grand Dukes carried it to the vault 
prepared for it in the church. We followed. 

The new Emperor seemed much affected, and they 
were all crying round the grave. Every one passed 
by, and threw in a little sand, and the vault was soon 
filled up with all the wreaths presented by different 
people. The English both here and at Moscow gave 
wreaths, costing ;^30 and £40 apiece. The Queen 
sent one from England. 

The Emperor's great friend and servitor, a very 
old man, and himself in delicate health, has, I am 
told, stood hours both day and night at his dead 
master's side. 

Monday, 2Sth. — ^There was a great ceremony at the 
Anitchkoff Palace this morning, but unfortunately 
for me I was not asked to it. 

The Prince of Wales invested the Emperor with 
the Order of the Garter. The whole Embassy went, 
and the ceremonial was all written out in a book — 
and four beautiful red velvet and gold cushions were 
bought at ;<Ji2 apiece, to bear the insignia of the Order. 

Tuesday, 2gth. — To-day we had a lunch for the 
Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edin- 
burgh. We had all the Ambassadors and their 
wives, three Russian Ambassadors belonging to 
London, Berlin, and Paris, two special Ambassadors 
just starting off on missions to announce the acces- 
sion of the new Emperor to the European Courts, 
our Embassy, and some gentlemen in waiting on the 
Prince, thirty in all. 

The children presented the Princess with a bouquet, 
and made most beautiful bows and curtseys. 

She looked so pretty in her black dress, and long 
black veil with Marie Stuart cap. Every one was so 
delighted both with her beauty and her amiability 
in speaking to every one. 



ii8 OUR LUNCHEON PARTY [ch. hi 

I had a " regulation " black dress, a perfectly plain, 
very long black princess gown, with white mourning 
collar and cuffs. I sat between the two Princes, and 
the Princess between D. and the Italian Ambassador. 

The table looked very pretty, and the cook exerted 
himself, and I received many compliments on his 
behalf. After lunch, we stood and talked over 
cigarettes and coffee for about an hour, and both the 
royalties spoke to every one, and made the thing a 
great success. 

The Princess said she would like to see the children 
again, so I sent for the little ones. In the meantime, 
she went to see Miss Knollys's room, and, I find, had 
a peep into mine and D.'s on her way. Miss Knollys 
sleeps downstairs, and, as the Princess did not want 
to come up again, she brought her round to the big 
staircase by the children's rooms, and there she 
came upon Nelly waiting to have a peep at her. 
She had darkened the room, so as not to be seen, but 
the Princess took her in the rear, at first to her 
horror, but afterwards to her delight, as she saw her 
so well. 

Nelly had been suppressed as being too old and yet 
not old enough to appear ; but after this she came 
upstair^ to say good-bye with the others. 

Thursday, ^ist. — D. went as far as Gatchina with 
the Prince of Wales, who left to-day. The Princess 
remains behind him. Miss Knollys stays with us 
and General Probyn is left. 

Friday, April ist. — ^Miss Knollys, General Probyn, 
and I went to see the Museum of Carriages. There 
are some wonderful specimens of golden coaches, 
with painted panels, and monograms in diamonds, 
and some enormous sleighs, as long as a saloon rail- 
way carriage. We also saw the carriage the Emperor 
was in when the first bomb was thrown. The back 
of it is completely smashed, as is the frame under the 



i88i] THE WINTER PALACE 119 

seats, and under the coach-box. The glass from all 
the windows has utterly disappeared. Inside, the 
carriage looks almost untouched, but when you lift 
the cushions you see how it is broken up. The wheels 
and doors seem scarcely hurt. The way in which 
the coach-box was broken was that when the bomb 
exploded the carriage was thrown up, and in coming 
down smashed it. 

Saturday, 2nd. — ^The Master of the Horse lunched 
with us, and then we went in a procession, selves, 
children, Embassy, etc., to visit the Imperial carriages 
and horses (the former I saw yesterday). There 
are 500 horses, in beautiful lofty stables. It was quite 
a long walk we had to take through stables and 
yards, and we wound up by seeing some of the best 
horses led about in the Riding School. 

Sunday, ^^rd. — Church twice, and a visit to the 
Schouvaloffs. Miss Knollys went to breakfast with 
the Empress. 

Monday, 4th. — We went over the Winter Palace 
with Count Apraxine. It is a sight one ought to see, 
though it really is not very interesting. 

First we saw the crown jewels, which are very 
magnificent. The Orloff diamond is lovely, and 
there is a priceless diamond necklace which looks 
almost too much like the bits of a chandelier as one 
sees it under the glass case. 

Then we visited the plate, with which we were 
disappointed. Of china there was a poor display, 
and I can't believe we saw all that is possessed by 
the Emperor. 

Then we walked miles through enormous ball- 
rooms, drawing-rooms, etc. The only liveable room 
seemed to be the late Empress's boudoir, which was 
the room I waited in when I went to be presented to 
her. The other " saloons " are very uncomfortable- 
looking and I think altogether the Palace is most 



120 INSTITUTION AT SMOLNA [ch. hi 

disappointing. There is one interesting gallery of 
portraits, but most of the pictures are enormous 
battle pieces. 

In the evening D. presided and spoke at a mission- 
ary meeting, and afterwards we went to the Gosselins, 
where Miss Knollys had dined. 

Tuesday, ^th. — ^Miss Knollys and I had arranged to 
lunch with Lady Harriet Grimston, and to go with 
her to see the great Institution or School for " Jeunes 
filles nobles " at Smolna ; but the Princess wanted 
her, so she could not come, and the consequence was 
that, after driving all the way to Smolna, I only saw 
an asylum for old people. I was glad, however, to 
see this enormous charity. 

The greater part is kept up by the Government, 
though a few rich people support a room or two. 
There are 2,000 old women, and 800 old men, and, 
with a smaller institution of the same kind near to 
this one, there are over 3,000 persons provided for. 

On the whole, it seems very well arranged. There 
are enormous long and high corridors on to which 
the rooms open ; the space on either side is divided 
into rooms by arches, but, as there are no doors in 
them, they are really long and uninterrupted galleries 
of beds^= — and they are, I must say, wonderfully sweet 
and fresh, all things considered. A curious plan, and 
one which I think is a mistake, is, that their dinner 
is brought to each individual on a tray and is eaten 
in the bedroom. A change of room, and a table to 
eat upon at meal times, would be an improvement. 

I was struck by the idleness of the 2,000 old ladies ; 
I did not see more than five with a bit of knitting, and 
though Satan must find it difficult to suggest any 
mischief for their idle hands to do, I feel sure that, 
metaphorically, they must (to mix two of Dr. 
Watts's hymns) " tear out each other's eyes." 

The Russian bath is heated three times a week, 



121 



i88i] THE IMPERIAL LIBRARY 

and they go into it when they hke. They say that 
the change of hfe from hardship to comfort, and the 
absence of all anxiety for the future, lengthens their 
lives wonderfully, and that the mortality is very low. 

There are in the building a Greek church and a 
small chapel, in which Protestant services in Finnish, 
Polish, German, and two other languages are alter- 
nately performed. 

There is one very good idea carried out in this 
asylum. There are a few rooms for old couples, and 
we saw an old lady and gentleman who had 'been 
married fifty-three years, and who have lived together 
comfortably for the last ten in this institution. They 
have a room very nicely furnished, and I saw their 
" samovar " ready to make their cup of tea. 

There is a small school below, and some rooms for 
one or two persons, in which the most aristocratic of 
the poor live in a little extra comfort and privacy. 

Wednesday, 6th.~The Princess of Wales sent for 
p. and me at two, and as it was a fete-day I dressed 
in white, and D. stripped the cr^pe from his 
uniform. 

The Princess looked lovely in a white gown trimmed 
with crepe. 

On my return I took Miss Knollys to see the 
Imperial Library. It is very interesting. They 
have a splendid collection of manuscripts and auto- 
graphs ; all the engravings of portraits of Peter the 
Great, and a large picture of Catherine II. It took 
a long time even to walk through it. There is one 
small room in it arranged like the library of some 
ancient monks, the large old books being chained 
to the desk. We had a dinner of seventeen; I 
sat next to Baron Jomini, the second at the F.O. 
here. 

A boy called Eric Gisiko dined with us, and played 
the violin ; Mr. Gosselin accompanied him. I had 



122 " LES JEUNES FILLES NOBLES " [ch. hi 

hoped to have a violoncello too, but unfortunately 
the performer is an official, and none of them are 
allowed to make any music till the Emperor has been 
dead forty days I 

Thursday, yth. — ^At ten D. and I went to the 
funeral of Prince Ghika, the Minister for Roumania, 
who died of a cold caught at the Emperor's funeral. 
The service was very long. We hurried home, had 
lunch, and went to the station to see the Princess off. 
The Empress was crying very much, and one felt 
very sorry for her. D. went as far as Gatchina with 
H.R.H. 

Friday, Sth. — I went with Lady Harriet Grimston 
to see the Institution of Smolna, a school for " Jeunes 
filles nobles." As to the building, it is very fine, 
enormous passages and class-rooms. There are five 
hundred girls. They sleep forty in a room, and each 
class has a different- coloured dress, the make of the 
uniform being the same. It consists of a blue, brown, 
green, or grey frock made low with short sleeves. A 
white tippet is worn over the neck, and there are 
white sleeves which can be put on the arms, and a 
white apron. The best-looking girl I saw was in the 
kitchen, and there was scarcely any difference between 
her dress and that of the pupils. 

Twice a year they have a drive in the Imperial 
carriages, and then they wear red hoods and green 
capes, not a pretty dress. 

D. has been appointed Ambassador at Constan- 
tinople, and so our minds are full of packing and 
selling. We feel as if we had only just settled here, 
and to pack again seems most unnatural. 

I have told the children of the coming change, and 
they, of course, are delighted. Freddy is anxious to 
know if there are ponies in Turkey, and supposes " we 
shall not do any lessons there." 

The Schouvaloffs, who have been the very kindest 



i88i] FAREWELL TO PETROGRAD 123 

of friends to us ever since we came to Russia, are 
helping us in all our arrangements for leaving. 

At twelve this morning the Emperor received the 
gentlemen of the Corps Diplomatique. D., on his 
return, went to see the Nihilist prisoners being tried. 

Sunday, loth. — Letters from London and Constan- 
tinople, which decided D. to start on Friday. Next 
three days busy from morning to night — settling, 
packing, visiting, etc. 

Thursday, 14th. — General Schweinitz asked us to a 
farewell dinner. We were a party of twelve, and he 
drank our health, and said he never felt so inclined 
to make a speech before. After dinner we went to 
the Schouvaloffs. I am so sorry to leave these good 
friends. Their kindness to us has been extraordinary. 
We could always go to them for help and advice, 
were always welcome in their house, and we met 
there intimately some of the nicest people here. D. 
paid a round of visits which kept him out till nearly 
two. 

Friday, i^th. — ^We left Petrograd ! All the morn- 
ing I kept receiving notes and bouquets, and at the 
station all our friends met us, and more flowers were 
given me. The Chevalier Garde (the smart regiment) 
sent me a magnificent bouquet. Madame Schouvaloff 
came to the station too. The servants seemed very 
sorry to lose us, and my Chasseur wept. 

BERLIN 

Monday, April iSth. — D. and I were told that the 
Emperor and Empress of Germany would receive 
us at 1.30, so we went to the Palace then. The 
Emperor had a bad cold, and received D. without 
his ribbon, for which he made many apologies, and 
regretted that, on this account, he could not see me. 
This amused us, as our Russian Emperor received 



124 BERLIN [CH. Ill 

the whole Corps Diplomatique in solemn state, and 
for the first time, without his ribbon. 

The Empress talked with me. She was so kind, 
and kissed me, and complimented me upon D.'s 
success in Russia, and expressed her great interest in 
all he might do in the future. Then he came up to 
see her, and, during their conversation, her lady took 
me into her boudoir. 

At five we went to the Crown Prince's Palace. 
There we dined with them and their three daughters, 
a very nice homely dinner. There were primroses 
from Osborne on the table. 

After dinner we talked, and the Princess showed 
us her rooms, and then we left, and went to a play, 
finishing up with tea at the Embassy. 

We stayed a night at Darmstadt, and, leaving 
there early in the morning, we saw the best part of 
the Rhine from the train. D. could not get over 
" doing " the Rhine in a few hours, for he had 
made the journey as a child and remembered it as a 
very great business indeed ! 

And so back to London. 



• EN ROUTE FOR CONSTANTINOPLE 

Venice, June Sth, 1881. — Here we are, so far on 
our way, and instead of being baked on the plains of 
Lombardy, and basking in the sun on the canals of 
Venice, we have been wrapped in furs, covered with 
rugs, and glad of our umbrellas ever since Monday 
morning in Paris ! Is it not sad that I should see 
this enchanting city, for the first time of my life, 
under leaden skies and pouring rain ? M 

The Consul and the smart young Lieutenant in^ 
command of our ship have been to see us. We go 
on board to-morrow, and are to stop at Corfu to see 
the Commander-in-Chief (Sir Beauchamp Seymour). 



i88i] H.M.S. HELICON 125 

Thursday, June gth. — ^The weather was rather 
better, and, having but one day, we determined to 
spend it in going about Venice in a gondola, and not 
to waste it in trying to see too many sights ; so 
we got into a boat, and sometimes with umbrellas up 
and sometimes in a gleam of sunshine, we wandered 
about enjoying the quiet, and the lovely old houses 
and bridges which we saw as we passed along. 

We went into St. Marks, and to the Doge's Palace, 
and into the Layards' house, and walked through 
some of the narrow streets, and were out the whole 
day, going on board the Helicon at ten o'clock. Our 
cabins are beautiful, and nothing could be more 
comfortable than we are — if only the sea were still ! 

Sunday, 12th. — ^We were to be in harbour at Cepha- 
lonia at nine. The swell outside kept me in bed till 
we had anchored. When I came up on deck I found 
that we were lying in a quiet place, surrounded by rather 
barren-looking hills, a blue, blue sea, and above a 
bright sky, a small town in sight, composed of very un- 
picturesque houses, and quite a fleet of ironclads near 
us. The Admiral's ship is the Alexandra. She is a 
very fine ship, light and airy below and very high be- 
tween decks. The officers we met were Lord Walter 
Kerr, Mr. Burke, and Mr. Lambton. The Thunderer 
was close to her, and I was sorry not to see Mr. 
Bickford, who was with us in the Amethyst, which took 
us from San Francisco to British Columbia in 1876. 

Monday, i-^th. — ^A real blue sea, and land in sight 
all day, a bright sun, an awning, a comfortable arm- 
chair, an interesting novel, excellent meals, and, at 
night, a lovely moon — thus we passed through the 
Greek islands, all of them barren at this time of 
year ; in fact, they look like bare and rocky hills, 
and one would almost think them uninhabited. 

H.M.S. Antelope, Tuesday, 14th. — Now we may 
begin to speak officially, for this morning we anchored 



126 THE DARDANELLES [ch. iii 

in the Dardanelles, and found our official yacht, the 
Antelope, awaiting us. 

Mr. Kennedy ^ came off early, and brought me some 
letters from the children who had arrived there from 
Petrograd, and who are all well and happy ; and then 
we breakfasted, and, later, two Pashas came on 
board. We had a rather trying morning, and began 
to feel the yoke of office I One Pasha, Suleiman by 
name, has been sent by the Sultan to meet the new 
Ambassador ; he is a very nice man, and speaks 
English perfectly, but neither the Governor of the 
Fort of Chanak nor the Military Governor speaks 
anything comprehensible, and I confess that, when I 
was set down in front of them, and was told by the 
English-speaking Pasha that he was ready to trans- 
late my remarks, I felt very much at a loss to find 
suitable ones. Then the Consul came on board, and 
the Consul's son brought a bouquet, and after about 
four mauvais quarts d'heure, we transferred to the 
Antelope first saying good-bye to the officers of 
the Helicon. A guard of honour consisting of six 
marines received the Ambassador. We were intro- 
duced to the officers of the Antelope by Captain 
Joliffe, and were shown our rooms, which are charm- 
ing. The cabin on deck is very smart, the fore part 
of the deck is covered in with flags, and the floor 
laid with rugs, so that it makes a comfortable sitting- 
room (in which I am now writing). Then the 
Consul's wife and daughters came on board, and 
we had lunch, after which we went ashore and had 
our first glimpse of Turkey. The Pashas went 
with us, and took us to the fort, where they showed 
us an enormous old gun, from which great granite 
balls used to be fired, like those we have at Clande- 
boye,* and a very big new cannon, presented to the ; 

1 Sir Robert Kennedy, K.C.M.G. 

2 Brought home by Lord Dufierin some years ago. 



i88i] CONSTANTINOPLE 127 

Sultan by Krupp ; we examined these, and all their 
appurtenances, and then we went into the Com- 
mandant's room, and, for the second time this after- 
noon, drank Turkish coffee (it is quite thick, and 
I do not like it yet), while the band played Turkish 
music for us ; one must get accustomed to this, as 
well as to the coffee, before one can appreciate either. 
Then we walked through the town, and saw quan- 
tities of picturesque, dark, dirty, gaily dressed men, 
but only one yashmak. The lady was draped in 
purple, and her veil was thick muslin, showing very 
little of her face. 

A cheap kind of pottery is made here, something 
like the Vallauri ware, and we laid in a stock of it, 
which, at the small cost of one pound, will fill many 
a bare corner in the Embassy. When we went into 
the shops, a crowd soon collected round the door. 

We visited the Consul's family, and then came on 
board again, and set sail, or rather, steamed away, 
Suleiman Pasha alone being left with us. Chanak is 
not a pretty place, though with sun and bright blue 
sea and hills, it cannot be called ugly ; we thought, 
however, that the Consul's daughters (one of them 
very pretty) must have a dull time of it, and Katie 
says she should prefer to vegetate in a Co. Down 
villa. 

Constantinople, Wednesday, i$th. — ^This morning I 
rushed on deck to have a view of Constantinople. 
One ought to see it first at sunrise or sunset, when the 
golden points of the minarets shine, but so late as 
9 a.m. they looked quite black. I do not think 
the first view so very lovely, but when one turns 
round " Seraglio Point," and looks up the Golden 
Horn, both sides of the town coming into view at 
once, it is very fine. The mosques, and the remains 
of the old walls, and the cypress-trees, which rise in 
every cemetery (these being anywhere and every- 



128 THERAPIA [cH. iii 

where), are all very picturesque. As we steamed up 
the Bosphorus, every house on its banks was pointed 
out as a place of interest, the residence of this person, 
or the harem of that, the window where the late 
Sultan was murdered, or the one out of which the 
mad ex-Sultan looks. The harems have lattices in 
the windows, so one knows them at once. Each 
house seems to have a picturesque garden at its back. 

We passed a beautiful ruin at the " Sweet Waters 
of Asia," and at eleven weighed anchor in front of 
our own Embassy ! A lovely caique came for us. 
It is my carriage, and it is gorgeous. The carved 
wood is gilt, and the seats crimson velvet ; the crew 
wear red fez, red sleeveless jackets, embroidered with 
gold, and white or cream-coloured shirts ; in the 
bows, steering, is a splendid old man, a perfect 
picture, and when I go out in the caique in front of 
him will sit Mustapha, the armed guard ! 

At Therapia we were met by all the staff of the 
Embassy, who came on board the Antelope to greet 
us, and then we went ashore and found the children 
very well and in a great state of excitement. They 
positively hauled us over the house and garden. 
The latter is very pretty, and as it is on a hill there 
is a gi%at deal of walking to be got out of it for its 
size. 

I am very pleased with my house ; at present it is 
poorly furnished, but it looks out on the Bosphorus, 
and up the Black Sea, and it has fine rooms and 
great corridors, and we can be most comfortable in 
it. The children have a lovely school-room, with a 
bow-window looking towards the Black Sea. 

In the afternoon I ordered the caique, and we 
went to call upon the Russian Ambassadress, Madame 
Nowikow. D. was with him in Syria, and I met 
them at Petrograd, so we are by way of being friends. 
We told our Embassy we should be "at home " in 



i88i] FIRST IMPRESSIONS 129 

the evening, and so began to make acquaintance with 
them. 

Friday, lyth. — ^This morning everything looks very 
lovely. The sun is very bright, and I have opened 
all my outside wooden shutters, so as to give me the 
best views everywhere. While things are new to 
me, I will tell you two or three of the customs of the 
place. 

The minute the Ambassador gets into his caique, 
the flag is hoisted, the consequence being that each 
time we pass a mail steamer, or a government vessel, 
or a ship belonging to one of the other Embassies, a 
horn blows, or a drum beats, and the Ambassador is 
saluted, and has to take off his hat in reply. When 
this happens three or four times in half an hour it 
becomes rather comic to us who look on, and rather 
aggravating to D. 

Then, the cavass who walks before us when we go 
out is very funny. He has a tremendous swagger, 
as he goes along, sword in hand, and you may imagine 
how very ridiculous it is when you see one of these 
solemn personages in attendance on Freddy — who has 
even led him up into a tree. 

Saturday, iSth. — Saturday is always to be a half- 
holiday, and we are to get up an excursion each week ; 
so to make a beginning, we arranged to go to the 
Forest of Belgrade, and Mr. Sartoris treated us to 
tea there. Katie and I and all the children went in 
the carriage, a cavass riding in front. The " Em- 
bassy," and Mrs. Plunkett ^ rode. We went up-hill 
all the time, and when we got to the aqueduct, we 
had a most beautiful view of Therapia and the 
Bosphorus, and the air was delightful. In the 
forest we found tea and ices prepared for us, and 
the children climbed about, and amused themselves 
extremely. 

* Mr. (afterwards Sir) Francis Plunkett was First Secretary. 



130 THE SULTAN [ch. hi 

In the evening we had our first dinner, ten people. 
General Hamlyn, who is going out to delimit the 
Greek frontier, dined with us, and was most amusing. 

Sunday, igth. — ^We went to church in the wood- 
cellar, which serves as a chapel till the new one is 
built, and when we came out we went over the 
secretaries' house. Just as we were leaving a 
tremendous thunderstorm came on, with such pouring 
rain that it was impossible to go even across the 
little garden to our house. We were kept there quite 
an hour and a half. 

Tuesday, 21st. — ^The Sultan (Abdul Hamid) re- 
ceived to-day, D. and twenty-eight persons, who 
in various ways represent England, put themselves 
into full uniform and went down the Bosphorus in 
the Antelope. The Sultan sent carriages to meet 
them, and the Ambassador went up to the Palace 
in a carriage and four. We are told that special 
honours have been shown D. in ways which have to 
be known to be appreciated : e.g. — ^A great swell 
(Suleiman Pasha) was sent to meet him at the 
Dardanelles. Then, an A.D.C of the Sultan's was 
sent here. The audience was soon after D.'s arrival ; 
at it, all the staff were presented singly, and, greatest 
condescension of all, D. is asked to dine to-morrow, 
the measure of the civility being the earliness of the 
invitation. These marks of favour will, I hope, make 
all the other Embassies green with envy. 

Well, on arrival, D. read a speech, and then the 
Sultan said that, when he was rested, he would see 
him privately, so they all retired to smoke cigarettes 
(which are replacing the pipe) and to drink coffee. 
After that, a select few went back to the Sultan. 
They say his Majesty looked quite happy yesterday. 
Generally, he looks so miserable and frightened. 

The Antelope got back at seven, and we had a small 
dinner, and a few people came in the evening. Captain 



i88i] DINNER AT THE PALACE 131 

Joliffe and Captain Pusey and his wife, and a Mr. Butler 
were the principal strangers. 

Wednesday , 22nd. — ^This lovely morning we went 
out directly after breakfast to look at a donkey and 
a pony for the children — a matter of great import- 
ance ; we ended by buying two donkeys, and the 
children rode them about all day. Katie and I went 
for a row in the small caique over to Asia. 

D. dined with the Sultan, and I will give you his 
description of the entertainment. He, and six others, 
went in the steam launch at six o'clock, and they 
did not get back till one. When they reached the 
Palace they had some time to wait. The Sultan 
always dines at sunset, and I dare say you know that 
Turkish time changes every day, as it follows the 
setting of the sun. When the Sultan came into the 
room they proceeded to the dining-room, where they 
found all the Pashas waiting. The Sultan had with 
him two boys, his son and his nephew. He sat at 
the head of the table, and with rather a large space 
left between him and his neighbours. D. sat on his 
right hand, and beside him stood, not an ofQcial, or 
a servant, but one of the great swells of the country, 
Munir Pasha, who acted as interpreter. Each time 
the Sultan spoke to him (or to any other Pasha) he 
salaams. The idea is that of picking up dust, and 
casting it over oneself ; but the present way of doing 
it is by touching the stomach, chest, and forehead 
rapidly. 

The Sultan would say something to Munir Pasha, 
he would salaam, and repeat it in French to D., whose 
reply was conveyed to the Sultan with the same 
submissive air. No one else at table spoke, but, 
happily, beautiful music was played all the time. 
It is only lately that the Sultan has condescended 
to eat with other people ; he used to look on at his 
dinner-parties. The dinner was long, and the Sultan 



132 VISIT TO THE PORTE [ch. hi 

asked about me, the children, etc., ordinary small- 
talk. The only other subject which interested him 
was that of shooting-machines, such as Dr. Carver 
uses, with glass balls to fire at ; D. is to get one for him. 

After dinner D. and two interpreters were left 
alone with the Sultan, and they talked politics for 
an hour ^nd a half. 

We generally spend the morning indoors. Katie 
takes Victoria for an hour's lessons, and I take Freddy ; 
then there are letters to be written, and social arrange- 
ments to be made, and sometimes domestic squabbles 
to be dealt with : for one does not settle down into a 
polyglot household without some difficulties to be 
smoothed over. English and French in the nursery, 
Greek and Turkish and English servants elsewhere, 
each one has a different idea as to what is right 
and proper as regards themselves ; and who can 
decide these things but me ? I am often reminded 
of the Fox and Goose and Cabbage puzzle when 
I try to solve the domestic problems put before 
me. However, after many failures and much 
wrangling, I begin to think that peace is possible 
and that we shall all settle down and be happy 
evermore. 

ThuTisday, 2ird. — ^This has been rather an eventful 
day, as I have visited the " Porte," and the Embassy 
House in Constantinople for the first time. D. had 
to pay his official visit to the said Porte, the 
Government being represented by the Grand Vizier 
and another Minister, Azim Pasha, and Said Pasha. 
Every one was in uniform, but Katie and I con- 
descended so far to go as private individuals. The 
Antelope took us, and when we landed we got into 
a hired carriage, while D. and all the secretaries were 
taken in royal conveyances. 

First came the Ambassador and a Master of the 
Ceremonies in an open carriage, lined with bright green 



I 



i88i] OUR EMBASSY IN PERA 133 

satin with red trimmings, four horses, a postilhon, 
and behind, two footmen dinging on to a strap, 
these all dressed in beautiful gold-embroidered jackets. 
More carriages of the same kind, but less splendid, 
followed with the staff. 

They went on their way to the Porte, and saw 
two old gentlemen, and ate sweets with them, and 
drank coffee. Let us (as it says in a book) leave 
them thus employed, while we accompany the ladies 
to the " Palace," in which the British Embassy lives 
during the winter. " Palace " indeed it is. You 
never saw such an enormous house ; it quite alarms 
me. 

You enter through big doors into a great court, 
with a marble floor, which originally was open, but 
is now covered in with a glass roof, it is lighted at 
night by a sun-light. All round this, with windows 
opening on to it on each story, is a great wide corridor, 
on to which the rooms open. From the court you 
go up a fine marble staircase, and, after looking at 
the gallery, you visit the reception-rooms ; two sitting- 
rooms and a waiting-room for his Excellency, two 
drawing-rooms and a waiting-room for me. I was 
pleased with these rooms ; they are well furnished, 
and not too gigantic. Then come a big ball-room, 
a dining-room, and a billiard-room. This is only two 
sides of the square ; a third side is taken up by stair- 
cases (even the back-stairs are marble), and the 
secretaries' rooms. Upstairs we have eleven bed- 
rooms, out of which I have to get school-room, day 
nursery, and a boudoir for myself ; for as there are 
eighty-seven high steps up to this floor, I must have 
a sitting-room at the top of them. The floor above 
is excellent too, but so high up ! One must have 
" Excelsior " perpetually in one's mind, not to feel 
disheartened by the fatigue of so big a house. 

Katie and I went all about the place, and tried 



134 TEA IN ASIA [ch. in 

to arrange how I should dispose the rooms, and then 
we went down to the garden. 

It is very large (for a town), with good trees ; it 
will be a great comfort to the children. 

By this time D. had come back, and the two old 
gentlemen had been to return his visit, and one 
hundred Englishmen came to be presented, and 
coffee and sweets were going on upstairs, so the 
secluded ladies found it difficult to hide themselves, 
and for some time sat on the back-stairs, and ate 
ices and drank coffee ! 

When the ceremonies were over we again got on 
board, and reached home at eight, after six hours' 
outing, which had tired us much. 

Saturday, 2i,th. — Katie and I paid visits in the 
small caique, and then followed the children to the 
German Park — so called because it is a site for the 
German Embassy, given by the Sultan. They rode 
their donkeys, and we sat about and looked at the 
view. The Plunketts came in after dinner, and we 
gazed at a beautiful comet which is visible now. 

Sunday, 26th. — Church in the morning. The ser- 
vice is early, and is over by 11.30. Then we sat out 
in the garden and watched (under the children's 
auspices) some creatures of the cockchafer species, 
which pervade the garden, and which are now coming 
out of the hard shells in which they begin life. We 
saw them creeping out, and saw their tiny, thick- 
looking wings expand into the beautiful gauzy ones 
they finish life with. 

Later we got into our big caique, Mr. Kennedy 
having invited us to five o'clock tea in Asia 1 I 
took two little children with us, and the young men 
came in the launch. When we reached the other 
continent (in about a quarter of an hour) we found 
donkeys waiting, and we ladies and children got on 
them, and had the most lovely ride through trees, , 



i88i] A TURKISH KIOSQUE 135 

some of which have gigantic trunks, age written in 
every Hne of them, the whole made more interesting 
by the picturesque figures walking about under 
them : a group of women huddling together in one 
place, muffled in gay-coloured garments, funny little 
be-turbanned, and be-dressing-gowned infants toddling 
about ; men of all kinds, some like the brigands of 
one's imagination, the ordinary Greek, and the con- 
ventional Turk, our magnificent " caique-chi " (the 
old gentleman who steers our boat), in his crimson and 
gold, all just like real tableaux- vivants. We rode on 
to a Kiosque, or small Palace, which is utterly deserted 
and ruinous outside, but indoors, the decorations on 
the walls were lovely ; patterns painted on a gold 
foundation — ^it gave one a good idea of a real Turkish 
house. When we had seen everything, we rode back 
to a little garden near the landing, where tea was 
laid, and there, under the shade of a magnolia-tree, 
we rested and refreshed ourselves. The children 
were in great excitement about the frogs, which were 
jumping about, and in his delight, Freddie managed 
to fall in, and we had to take him home bare-footed. 
The sun was setting when we got back. 

Tuesday, 2Sth. — ^A quiet day in the garden. I saw 
Mrs. Hanson, who employs four hundred refugee 
women in doing embroideries, of which she has sold 
£1,100 worth this year. 

We had a small dinner, but one of our guests did not 
appear at all (Mr. Mackenzie Wallace), and Mr. 
Plunkett only came at ten. He had been all day at 
Midhat Pasha's trial, and told us the prisoner had 
been found guilty of inciting to murder. His de- 
meanour was very dignified, while the other ones 
accused looked frightened to death. The trial is 
about the murder of the last Sultan, Abdul Aziz. Nine 
of the prisoners have been condemned to death, 
Midhat Pasha included. 
10 



136 DINNER AT THE RUSSIAN EMBASSY [ch. hi 

Thursday, 2)^th. — I was " at home " to the EngUsh 
ladies to-day, and, as it was very fine, I received them 
in the garden. There were about eighty, and the 
afternoon went off very well ; it was not at all stiff, 
and I think they were all pleased. I must tell you 
the sort of weather we have now. When I wake I 
find a brilliant sun shining into my room, and I open 
wide a great door-window while I dress. Till twelve 
o'clock it is warm, but comfortably so, and at that 
hour a breeze comes up from the Black Sea, which 
cools the air, and is quite delightful. This lasts all 
day, and towards 6.30 one is glad of a little woollen 
shawl for sitting out. At night, two or three blankets 
are supportable, and at no time need one complain 
" how hot it is." We have one place in the garden 
where it is always shady and cool, and the children 
are able to play lawn-tennis there, even at ten o'clock 
in the morning. 

Friday, July ist. — ^We dined at the Russian Em- 
bassy. The dinner was in the Entrance Hall, which is 
a fine room, and the table was very prettily arranged. 
The most curious part of the proceeding was, that no 
two people who came down arm-in-arm sat together. 
The plan is for you not only to go down to dinner 
with the right person, but to sit in the place that ac- 
cords with your rank, and so a sort of chassez-croisez 
goes on when you reach the dining-room, and when 
you are about to leave it. For example, our hostess 
went down with the Italian Ambassador, who, putting 
her at one side of the table, himself went and sat 
opposite her. The Austrian Ambassador took me 
down, and, placing me by the Italian, went oppo- 
site, and sat by our hostess — and so on through 
the whole of the twenty people. When we got 
up at the end, the gentlemen had to skurry about 
looking for the person they brought down. After 
dinner, we sat out on a terrace in the dark, and I 



i88i] VEILED LADIES 137 

was introduced to several new people whom I could 
not see. 

Saturday, July 2nd. — We had our half-holiday 
expedition to-day. We went in the Antelope about 
ten miles up the Black Sea, to Kelia, a place where 
there is a life-boat station. The Captain of this boat 
and his wife (Mr. and Mrs. Palmer) took us up to 
their house, while tea, which we brought with us, was 
laid in an arbour. After it, we were shown all the 
life-saving apparatus, and saw a rocket take a rope 
to an imaginary ship in distress. Then we set the 
children to a few running games, and started so as 
to get into the Bosphorus before sunset. 

Sunday, 'i^rd. — In the morning, we had the most 
fearful rain-storms, and a squall in the afternoon 
capsized a boat close to our house, and drowned four 
people. We had to dine with the Calicis (Austrian) 
at Buyukdere, and drove there instead of going by 
sea. 

I forgot to mention before that, during church, 
a mysterious message was brought in to D., who 
disappeared at once. When the service was over 
I found him in the company of two veiled Turkish 
ladies. One was elderly, the other young and pretty. 
They both wore yashmaks (very thin ones), and the 
young one had a yellow silk dress, circular yellow 
cloak, a blue silk hat, with a diamond brooch in 
front, the whole being covered with the white muslin, 
which is brought over the forehead and mouth as a 
yashmak. These were the sister and niece of Midhat 
Pasha, and they came to see if D. could do anything 
for him. As I told you, he is condemned to death. 
They want D. to see him, but this is not possible. 
The ladies only spoke Turkish, and they were very 
anxious no one should know they had come. They 
wanted to go out a back-way, but I thought their visit 
would be much less remarked upon if they went out 



138 CANDILI [CH. iii 

as usual. I was surprised to find that they were 
free enough to get away on such an expedition. 

Wednesday, 6th. — Katie and I went in the steam 
launch to pay visits at Candili. It is a place about 
half-way between us and Constantinople, and, like 
all places here, with the exception of a few houses 
built at the very edge of the water, it is on a 
high hill. The roads being of the most primitive 
description, it would have been very hard work to 
climb them on foot, and a carriage would be impos- 
sible ; so we had two open sedan-chairs to take us up, 
and the procession moved on thus : The cavass in 
front with pistols, sword, whip, and card-case ; then 
her Excellency, borne aloft by two picturesque beggars ; 
and then Miss Katie, with the same sort of carriage 
and horses. They carried us first up the hills and 
then down, and once, down a great flight of steps, 
when it was rather hard to stick on. Our pleasant- 
est visit was to Mrs. Arthur Hanson. Her house is 
situated on a little promontory, and from the front 
of it there is a magnificent view towards the Black 
Sea, and from the garden one towards the Sea of 
Marmora. The garden is a series of terraces, and at 
the top of it one can sit under a tree (celebrated in 
Murray) and look at Constantinople, the Sea of 
Marmora, and the mountains beyond . The picturesque 
towers of Roumeli Hissar, and of the " Sweet Waters 
of Asia," are in the foreground of this lovely 
view. \ 

Thursday, jth. — ^To-day I had to make an expedi- 
tion with some of my family to the dentist. We found 
him a most primitive performer, with the most rusty 
old instruments and no new inventions. He amused 
us by proposing that our next appointment with him 
should be at seven a.m., and when I remarked that 
we lived at Therapia, he told me that other people 
who lived there got to him at six. 



i88i] BEIKOS 139 

Mr. Plunkett ^ has been appointed First Secretary 
at Paris, and goes there at once. 

In the evening there actually was a French play at 
Buyukdere. The theatre was a sort of long arbour- 
cafe, but the acting was very good. I was told the 
third little piece was not very proper, so at the end 
of the second I sent the young ladies of the party to 
row about in the caique. 

Saturday, gth. — Our half-holiday took the form of 
a cricket-match and a visit to a Turkish villa. 

We went in our steam launch, taking with us the 
Greek Minister and his two daughters ; it is through 
them that we got leave to visit Ibrahim Pasha's place. 
We landed at Beikos, and had six donkeys there 
for the children. They rode, while we walked up to 
the cricket ground, and we sat under those great 
trees I described once before watching the same. 
We then proceeded to the place we were to visit. 
Ibrahim Pasha sent two carriages and two bullock- 
carts to meet us, and we got into the latter. We were 
much shaken, of course, but it would have been very 
poor-spirited to go in a common carriage. The house 
is on a very high hill (on the Asiatic side), and the 
place is large, and quite beautifully kept. I never 
saw anything neater in England, and you know neat- 
ness is not an attribute common to this part of the 
world. There were large aviaries, and a lovely five- 
o'clock tea-house in the grounds, and a beautiful view 
from them, and in the house a great entertainment 
for us. 

Upstairs, we were handed sherbet and biscuits — 
and expected nothing more. Then we were told there 
was tea downstairs, and there we found a table spread 
with an enormous cake in the centre, sandwiches, tea 
and ices ; so we all sat down and ate again. Then 
we were given bouquets, and the children each a pot 

^ Sir Francis Plunkett. 



140 THE ITALIAN EMBASSY [ch. hi 

of fern, and the carriages drove us down to his 
landing-place, where the steps were marble. Like 
the hosts in the Arabian Nights, Ibrahim Pasha 
himself did not appear. 

Freddie, having wandered away from his friends, 
had a fall from his donkey and severely scratched 
his nose, forehead, and knee. He can't bear any one 
to notice his wounds, and says, when the state of his 
nose is alluded to, " It's only a crack — everybody 
has cracks." 

Sunday, loth. — Church in the morning. In the 
afternoon we sat under the trees, and Mr. Nicolson ^ 
read us a lecture he wrote for us, giving a sketch of 
Turkish history from 1826 to the present day. He 
is the head of the new college here for educating 
Englishmen to be dragomans. The moment I asked 
if some one would give me a resume of Turkish 
modern history, he set to work, and wrote this lecture. 

Monday, nth. — I had my first ride, Nelly and I, 
D. and Mr. Kennedy. As we had a dinner at the 
Italian Embassy, and a ball in the evening, we did 
not go very far. 

When I came down to dinner I found that Katie 
and L had been sent a couple of the most enormous 
bouquets you ever saw. They were the circum- 
ference of a five-o'clock tea-table, and weighed pounds. 
Katie was very unhappy about hers, but I insisted 
that she should carry it as it was. However, we did 
not use them much, for our host, Count Corti,* 
snubbed the bouquets tremendously (I think because 
he had not given them himself), and he did not allow 
Katie's to come upstairs at all. 

I did not mean to dance, but I changed my mind, 
and joined in it till the end, at 4 a.m. (began at ten). 

There was a beautiful moon, and people enjoyed 

* Lord Camock, 

* The Italian Ambassador. 



i88i] PRINKIPO 141 

the garden very much ; but about two o'clock wind 
came on, and some people who came in boats could 
not get home. 

Wednesday, i-^th. — Our half-holiday. We started 
directly after lunch in the Antelope, and went to the 
island of Prinkipo. The voyage took two hours and 
a half, passing all down the Bosphorus into the Sea 
of Marmora, and the day was lovely. When we 
landed we were surrounded by crowds of donkey- 
boys, and it was only through a vigorous use of 
the cavass's whip that way was made for us to 
mount. The two Miss Bartholeyns ^ and I, and all 
the gentlemen, rode donkeys, mine being a superior 
creature, with a charming canter. Katie, Mrs. 
Plunkett, Lord Bath, and Count Corti went in a 
carriage, but they got the worst of it afterwards, as 
they had to walk up a very steep hill. The road was 
good, and the views lovely, and the air (alas !) very 
superior to that of Therapia. The smell of pine- 
woods, too, was delicious. We got very high up, and 
perched ourselves upon rocks, from which we could 
see mountains and sea and islands, and Constantinople 
in the distance — ^we had coffee there, and then rode 
back, getting on board at half-past seven. 

The deck was very prettily arranged, with two 
round tables for seven persons each, and we soon sat 
down to dinner, and then steamed home in the moon- 
light, having had a very happy day. 

Thursday, 14th. — Our patience was sorely tried 
this morning. We had to be at " Robert College," 
an American institution for educating Bulgarians, 
Turks, Armenians, Greeks, etc., to assist at the 
giving away of prizes at ten in the morning ; so, 
hurrying through breakfast, we went off in the launch 
to Roumeli Hissar, whose beautiful old towers are 
spoilt by the great modern American building behind 

1 Daughters of Belgian Minister. 



142 A GIPSY ENTERTAINMENT [ch. hi 

them. We had a steep dimb up to it, and when we 
at last got into the room where the ceremony was 
to be, we read the programme with sinking hearts ! 

We had to hsten to twelve essays, read by the 
authors, each taking at least ten minutes, and all on 
the driest subjects ; then to occasional performances 
by a very loud band — and at the end of this, " giving 
diplomas " — " giving prizes " — " addresses " — (eight 
of them) — Prayer and Doxology ! 

The result was, that we were kept till after two, 
and the way we rushed upon a plate of biscuits, when 
released, was a sight to see. 

To refresh myself after this trial, I went a ride with 
D., Lord Bath, and Mr. Kennedy. We went farther 
than we intended, and did not get home till late. 
Then we hurried through dinner, to go to a gipsy 
entertainment given us by Mr. Sartoris. 

It was so prettily arranged, upon a terrace in the 
garden. We sat in a tent, Chinese lanterns were 
hung about, and, with trees in the background, and 
a beautiful moon shining upon them, the gipsies 
danced and made curious music. One tried to tell 
fortunes, but was a very bad hand at it. 

The most interesting part of the performance was 
the whirling of one of the ladies. She went round 
and round in one spot for five minutes, and so fast 
and so steadily that her petticoats stood out stiffly 
in a sort of umbrella form, and she looked quite like 
a machine. She was not the least giddy after it, to 
our astonishment. 

Saturday, i6th. — ^We had a small dinner, and, as 
we had arranged for two ladies to sing on the water 
outside our house, I invited some people in the even- 
ing. The music was very pretty, and it went on till 
nearly twelve. One of our guests who likes to sit up 
all night, sat on and on — and I thought she never 
would go ; and when I had sent away the professional 



i88i] VISIT TO PERSIAN EMBASSY 143 

music she wanted to begin some amateur singing, 
but I dropped the subject. 

Monday, iSih. — ^We are all very busy discussing an 
entertainment that we want to get up, to raise money 
for a new English church. I shall not act in the play, 
as it is for money, but I am to be President and 
general manager of the thing. 

Mr. and Mrs. Goschen ^ have arrived, so our Embassy 
is becoming a very large company. Some of them 
always come in, in the evening, so that, in spite of 
there being " no society," our life is not nearly so 
domestic as at Petrograd. 

One of our visits yesterday was to a Turkish lady ; 
she is twenty-three years old, and has been married 
nine years. Her husband has only just let her 
appear, and she has been in Paris five years ; so I 
imagine he was educating her. 

Tuesday, igth. — I went to call upon the Persian 
Ambassadress. The husband received me. When 
I asked if I could see his wife, he went and knocked 
at the door of the harem, and, not getting in that way, 
we had to go round to get it unlocked on the other 
side. When we were admitted we found ourselves 
in a very small bare room, in the presence of a large 
lady in a long European dress — and with a very 
untidy head of hair. She had to speak to us through 
her husband, but, when he went to order some tea, 
she chattered to me in an unknown tongue. The tray 
was brought in by a black woman who stood there 
while we drank it. Her dress was pink, and h*ad 
a train, which, when she was standing, came out 
between her feet in front ; a violet handkerchief on 
her head, and a long jacket completed her costume. 
On our way back we got a good deal splashed, as 
it really was rough on the water. 

Wednesday, 20th. — In the afternoon we went with 

* Now Sir Edward Goschen, Bart. 



144 THE SWEET WATERS OF EUROPE [ch. m 

all the children, in carriages, to the Belgrade Forest, 
and after tea a large party of us mounted our 
horses and rode for six miles, through a lovely wood, 
to Pergos. There are two beautiful aqueducts to be 
seen there, and the ride is a very pleasant one. 

After twelve miles on horseback, and two drives 
(for I came home in a carriage), I was rather tired. 
Some of the young men, however, appeared in the 
evening, and we had a discussion about some plays 
we are getting up, to make money for our new church. .■ 

Wednesday, 2'jth. — ^The next half-holiday expedition 
this week was to the " Sweet Waters of Europe." I 
drove for about an hour, and then got on my horse, 
and, with eleven others, rode another hour and a half 
through a very pretty farm, and over some grass, to 
the sweet waters, where the Palace stands, in which 
the Sultans spend their honeymoon. 

It is a villa with very fine rooms in it. The harem 
(it is uninhabited now) is magnificent as to size. The 
floors are covered with matting, and, with the exception 
of a few divans round the walls, the rooms are empty. 
Our tea was set out in a marble pavilion in front of 
the Palace, and we were all very glad of it. 

The-" Sweet Waters " themselves do not deserve 
their name. In reality they are very like a canal, 
and are not at all romantic-looking. 

Friday, 2gth, — ^The Committee met about the 
theatricals, and it was resolved, first, to raise the price 
of the tickets, which are to be £,i . It seems enormous 
to me, but people say you can get a hundred people 
here to give that, so I hope it may succeed. Then 
we gave up one of the pieces we had thought of, and 
settled to have some tableaux and waxworks instead. 

August 2nd. — ^We had a party which began with 
a small play which Mr. Nicolson and I acted together. 

When it was over I changed my dress like lightning, 
and came down while the guests were still drinking 



i88i] MY FIRST PARTY 145 

tea and eating ices. I looked round, and, as if I had 
never thought of it before, said, " Why, here's a 
musician ; let's have a dance," — and actually there 
was a place all ready ! a beautiful round room, with 
a chandelier lighted in it, and an excellent floor, and 
off we set, and danced till one o'clock — when I caused 
the musician to disappear, and, after a few sandwiches 
and a little supper, the guests went too, and every one 
was delighted, and considered " My -first party " an 
enormous success. We were all very pleased with 
ourselves. The two actors were very conceited, and 
the prompter (Katie) was equally delighted. We 
all went to bed in the best of spirits. 

Wednesday, ^rd. — ^After tea in the garden we started 
in the big caique, and the Antelope barge, for the 
Genoese Castle, at the mouth of the Black Sea. On 
our way, we went in a body to congratulate the Russian 
Ambassadress on her f^te-day. 

Arrived at " Kavak," we climbed up a great hill, 
to the old Castle, which is a very picturesque ruin, 
and from which there is a very fine view over the 
Black Sea on one side and over the Bosphorus on the 
other. 

Thursday, 4th. — I think I told you we have a little 
refugee boy in the house, who is by way of being a 
servant, but who is in reality much more of a pet 
and plaything. He was sent us by Mrs. Hanson, an 
English lady who has done much for all these poor 
people. His mother works for her, and his sister was 
living as a servant in the house. The girl is only 
fourteen, and is very delicate, in fact consumptive, 
and she hated the yashmak over her mouth so much 
that she would not wear it. Well, a groom there 
fell in love with her, and, although all his relations 
were very angry at his marrying a woman who had 
been seen by Christian and other men, he determined 
to do so. Mrs. Hanson wrote and asked the children 



146 A WEDDING [ch. hi 

if they would like to see the wedding, and I said I 
would go too. The news of this had the effect of 
healing the family feud, and all the bridegroom's 
relations came to the ceremony. 

When we arrived at Mrs. Hanson's house the bride, 
(who has not a farthing, and was dressed in presents), 
appeared, looking very pretty, with a very thin 
yashmak, a brown silk gown, a green gauze veil over 
the yashmak, and streamers of gold and silver thread 
in her hair ; she kissed our hands, and we presented 
some little gifts ; then we walked to her new abode, 
she following. At the door of the house the bride- 
groom, a nice-looking young man, met us, kissed our 
hands, and received us in a little hall at the bottom of 
the stairs. As soon as the bride entered the women 
seized upon her and took off her yashmak, and then 
turned her round to the man, who was supposed to 
see her for the first time. He then put his arm under 
hers and helped her upstairs, this being the ceremony. 
He conducted her to a sitting-room, where the door 
was shut for one minute, and then he was hustled 
away, and we were all admitted to her presence. She 
sat on a sofa, and we on divans round the room. 
Two sisters-in-law, with strongly painted eyebrows, 
sat each side of her, and her mother-in-law in front, 
and she might not speak until this new relation of 
hers gave her leave. The bride's nails and the tops 
of her fingers were stained black. Some bonbons and 
little biscuits were handed round, and after a time 
we made conversation. The bride, at a big wedding, 
sits in state for three days, and has a feast, and the 
bridegroom also feasts in his part of the house 
for the same time. In the afternoon he goes to the 
mosque, where he meets a male relation of the 
woman's ; he is asked what dowry he gives, and he 
says some prayers. 

There is also some little betrothal ceremony when 



i88i] PRINCESS HALIM 147 

a ring is given, but the actual marriage is astonish- 
ingly simple. In the evening, when he sees his bride 
again, he lays a mat at her feet, and says his prayers 
before her. 

Friday, ^th. — We were watching for the arrival of 
our school-boys almost all the afternoon, but they 
only got here at eight. We had managed, opera-glass 
in hand, to get dressed for dinner, and when the 
steam launch appeared we went on to the quay, 
the children in the wildest excitement, to receive 
the new-comers. They all three looked very well, 
and till the last two days had had beautiful weather. 

Saturday, 6th. — ^There was a most exciting cricket- 
match to-day. The Embassy against the World. I 
am quite beginning to understand the game, which I 
never did before. We won by a hundred runs in 
one innings, and were proportionately proud of 
ourselves. 

Sunday, yth. — Church. In the afternoon, one of 
our dragomans asked us to have tea at his kiosque. 
He has built a little two-roomed house on a hill, 
with a magnificent view of the Black Sea from it, 
and he had tea in a tent for us. He has a great 
collection of rifles, which he produced, and got the 
gentlemen to fire at some glass balls. Our host is 
Sir Alfred Sanderson. 

Monday, Sth. — I had some visits to pay to-day, 
so, after making my company rehearse their play, K. 
and I started in the Mouche, to see Princess Halim. 
Her husband is the great-grandson of Mehemet Ali. 
She was educated with his daughter, and is very nice- 
looking, gentle, and lady-like. 

They knew we were coming, so Prince Halim met 
me at the door, and armed me up through a house, 
and then over a little bridge, and through his garden 
to a small house, where the Princess received us. 
The room was European and so was her dress — 



148 A FANCY BALL [ch. in 

white gaze de Chambery, with mauve bows. Prince 
Halim stayed in the room. While we were talking, 
two women came in, bearing long and most gorgeous 
pipes, and two more brought little stands for the bowl 
of the pipe — ^made of gold and amber — which were 
placed on the floor. My pipe had a beautiful amber 
mouthpiece, surrounded by diamonds. I smoked 
a little and thought it delicious ; but, as I had to talk 
too, the pipe soon went out. Then four women 
brought us each a cup of coffee. Princess Halim 
herself smoked a cigarette, which she held in the most 
lovely jewelled pair of pincers. The two sons, boys 
of seventeen and eighteen, who speak English well, 
showed us their drawings, and Prince Halim also 
exhibited an oil picture he is doing, which he is going 
to give D. 

Wednesday, loth. — I had a rehearsal to-day, but 
every one was much too full of a coming Fancy Ball 
given by the officers of the Antelope to think of their 
acting ; and now I have to tell you about this 
great and most successful event. 

I will begin with our own dresses. D. wore the 
Down Hunt coat. I dressed after one of the Sheridan 
pictures — ^white muslin, powder, large hat, and tall 
cane. 

Katie wore a mob cap on the top of a curly head, 
and a Pompadour dress, which was very pretty. 

Archie was an Algerian in white and gold. Mr. 
Kennedy, in blue and silver, was a character in some 
opera. Mr. Nicolson was Ruy Bias, all in black ; 
but the great success of the party was Mr. Sartoris 
and Terence as a Chinaman with his wife. Mr. 
Sartoris is very tall, and he got up the Chinese dress 
beautifully. He had a bald head, with long pigtail — 
the correct hat and the long moustaches — a yellow 
silk jacket, purple petticoat, and the shoes with very 
thick white soles, which raised him a good bit. He 



i88i] THE PERSIAN AMBASSADRESS 149 

looked the character to the hfe, and he towered 
above every one. 

Then Terence wore a real and very beautiful 
Japanese dress, which was lent, and I had a wig made 
for him. You never saw such a perfect little figure 
as he looked, with his parasol and his fan, and his 
grave face. 

The Antelope was beautifully arranged. The 
whole deck and bridge were covered in with sails 
and flags — every square corner was filled with 
flowers, and lines and lines of coloured oil-lamps were 
slung about. Chandeliers were also hung up, and 
the whole was beautifully lighted. 

As for dancing, we began at ten, and finished at 
three ; and Katie not only danced every dance, but 
had four or five partners for each — ^for here, gentle- 
men allow their partners to take turns with other 
people, so that girls get a great deal of dancing, — 
and when they are popular, they need never stop. 
The supper and the refreshments were all good, and 
there was not a hitch of any kind. 

Thursday, nth. — ^We thought that a nice quiet 
afternoon would do us good, so we went in the 
caique and launch down to a deserted palace and 
garden belonging to the Khedive, and there we had 
tea, and the children played about. 

Friday, 12th. — ^A hot day. The Persian Ambassa- 
dress came to see me. When she arrived she came 
into the drawing-room muffled up completely. She 
and her maid, or governess, wore thick coloured 
handkerchiefs over their faces ; that is the Persian 
yashmak. They had cloaks which looked as if they 
had put their petticoats over their heads ; the lower 
part covered the dress, and was fastened to the waist, 
and when the upper part was thrown back it was just 
like a large tunic over the skirt. When my friend 
did unveil she displayed more than her face, for she 



150 ST. SOPHIA [CH. Ill 

is a very large woman, and she had a square gown and 
short sleeves. 

As it is Ramadhan, she would neither eat nor 
smoke, and the conversation, which was interpreted 
by a small black boy, lagged fearfully. It was very 
hard to think of subjects of interest, and each new 
topic was very quickly exhausted. And the black 
boy, who was there to interpret, would answer our 
simple questions himself, without passing them on 
to her, which was tiresome of him. All men were 
carefully excluded, and she would not even see the 
Ambassador. 

As soon as she left we started off in the Antelope 
for Stamboul, where we went to see St. Sophia 
illuminated. We had a pleasant journey down, 
dining on board — a party of twelve — and in town 
we met Mr. Sartoris and Terence, who had gone to be 
photographed in their Chinese dresses. My poor 
maid had a fearful day of it. She started by an early 
boat, to go and dress Terence for the photograph, 
but he and Mr. Sartoris missed the steamer, and she 
landed all alone at Pera, unable to speak to a soul, 
or to ask for a carriage, or say where she wanted to 
go. Then she was surrounded by men trying to get 
her bag from her, and this went on for two hours in a 
hot sun. When Mr. Sartoris got to town, he sent 
to look for her, and she was rescued, but even her 
angelic temper was a little ruffled. 

We reached St. Sophia at half-past eight, and, 
being a little early, the church was only half lighted. 
Our places were in a gallery, and we reached it by 
steep winding pathways (not stairs), a man walking 
before us holding a dim light. When we reached our 
seats we looked down upon the immense space — 
quantities of chandeliers far below us, and children 
rushing about, shrieking and thoroughly enjoying 
their enormous playground. St. Sophia having been 



II 




ST. SOPHIA. 
From stereograph copyright bj' Underwood & Underwood, New York. 



I 



i88i] ST. SOPHIA 151 

built for a Christian church, the altar did not face 
quite the right way for the Mahomedans, and so 
everything in it is a little askew, which has a curious 
effect. The steps to the altar slant a little, and the 
lines and lines of carpet all lie slanting. It is a 
beautiful church, but there are enormous wooden 
shields hung up, with the name of the prophet, etc., 
on them, which are not worthy of the marble columns 
and beautiful architecture. 

It was lighted with oil-lamps, rows and rows of 
them ; one row round the dome, which is very beauti- 
ful, and which in the day-time looks as if it was 
resting upon nothing. 

Soon we heard the call to prayers, and the place 
filled rapidly. The men came in carrying their boots, 
and all placed themselves in lines, with spaces 
between each. I never saw anything more impres- 
sive than the service. There was the melancholy 
and barbarous wail of the priest reading the Koran, 
and every now and then more voices joining in, then 
a rustle, when the whole congregation bent forward, 
and then the sound as of a great wave, when they 
all fell down upon their knees, with their faces on 
the ground. The sight of all these human beings in 
the attitude of profoundest humility was most 
striking, and, although dead silence prevailed, one 
seemed to feel " Lord have mercy upon us, miserable 
sinners," in the air. 

The same thing happened over and over again, but 
it always produced the same effect upon me. Self- 
abasement, adoration, devotion, all seemed thor- 
oughly expressed by the service, and one scarcely 
knew which was most effective, the barbaric wail or 
the moments of silent meditation. 

People differ about it as a sight ; some say there is 
nothing to see, that it is all dull, etc. I think it one of 
the grandest things I ever saw, and, seated far above 
II / 



152 A GARDEN PARTY [ch. hi 

these people, I felt as if I was assisting at a dream, 
a sort of revelation, and not at a real church service. 
Home by moonlight. 

Tuesday, i6ih. — ^The day of my large garden party. 
We had little establishments in various parts of the 
garden ; but our great salon was on the terrace 
by the tennis-ground. There we had a band, and 
some Danish young ladies, who sang with it. A 
long table for refreshments, and any ugly walls were 
hidden by flags. 

The people began to arrive punctually at four, 
and, as those who speak no known language generally 
come first, the mauvais quart d^heure at the beginning 
was very mauvais indeed. 

I had Turks to whom I found it very difficult to 
talk, the Sultan's brother-in-law being the first 
arrival ; and then a number of Greek and Armenian 
priests, bishops, and archbishops, in wonderful 
dresses. I walked along with two, whose mitres were 
covered with red and purple veils, to the tea-table, 
and I was much relieved when the crowd began to 
pour in. Everybody seemed very much pleased, 
and the party is esteemed a success. There were 
276 guests at it. 

Wednesday, 17th. — ^My enterprising boy, Archie,^ 
swam across the Bosphorus this morning ! It is 
quite a feat, and he could get no one else to do it 
with him. It took him an hour, and a boat followed 
him. D. was anxiously watching with a glass, and 
we were glad when we heard he had landed. 

In the afternoon we went a very long ride and 
drive to the Bends. We did not get home till eight, 
and had to dress hurriedly for dinner and a rehearsal. 

Friday, igth. — ^The ladies who are to sing at our 
performance came to see me. One, a Mademoiselle 

^ Then Lord Clandeboye — afterwards Earl of Ava. Fell mortally 
wounded at Ladysmith, January 6th, 1900. 



i88i] STAMBOUL 153 

Vincino, has a lovely voice. She has lived all her 
life by the Bosphorus, but had never been on it before 1 

Saturday, 20th. — Katie and I, and children, went 
in the steam launch with M. Onou to see a fair going 
on in the Pigeon Mosque at Stamboul. This part of 
our sight-seeing was disappointing, as the fair was 
absolutely nothing to see. The court of the mosque 
was full of pigeons. M Onou then took us a very 
interesting drive through the streets of Stamboul, 
where every passer-by is a picture ; showed us the 
Hippodrome, and Suleiman's Mosque, after which 
we went to St. Sophia. 

It is beautifully lighted, and looks much finer by 
day than at night, as one can see its enormous size, 
and admire the mosaic ceilings, and the beautiful 
marble columns, with their carved capitals. 

We shuffled along in the slippers we were given at 
the door, and, in addition to the building, we saw an 
interesting service going on. A preacher was ex- 
pounding the Koran, and round him sat the faithful 
with their hands reverently spread out, and giving 
him the warmest expressions of approval by con- 
stantly calling out, with great fervour, "Amen," or 
" God is great." 

In another part of the church was a second 
preacher, and all about its vast proportions lay, sat, 
or knelt people sleeping, reading the Koran, listening 
or praying. We thought they looked askance at us, 
and I am sure our presence is disagreeable to them ; 
and in Ramadhan, they are in very bad humour. 

You know, of course, that this is their great fast, 
and that they neither eat, drink, nor smoke from 
sunrise to sunset. I feel so sorry for my boatman, 
(the others are Greek), and I fancy that he looks 
even hotter than usual when he rows, and that it is 
cruelty to animals. The men miss their cigarettes 
so much that many of them carry a rosary, and 



154 BEIKOS [CH. Ill 

occupy their fingers with the beads, trying to cheat 
themselves into not missing the roUing up and the 
holding of the accustomed weed. 

When we came back we saw two such very smart 
Turkish ladies in a caique. Their yashmaks were 
of the thinnest, their dresses Europeanised as much 
as possible, and they had a beautiful red-and-gold 
embroidery thrown over the boat. But I heard of a 
lady of good family being taken up by the police the 
other day because she allowed her Feridje (cloak), 
to fly open as she walked, in order to display a beauti- 
ful Parisian dress ; so, at any rate, the police try 
to maintain the old customs. I am invited to the 
last remaining real old-fashioned harem, the first 
day of Bairam. 

Wednesday, 24th. — ^A family birthday! We set off 
in caique and steam launch to have tea at Beikos, 
on our way to Bala Bay. This is a very fine palace 
on the Bosphorus, uninhabited now, like many others. 
It was quite sad to see such a lovely place empty. 
The rooms are beautifully decorated, and there are 
handsome stuffs, clocks, etc., in them. One room 
was very beautiful, being entirely done from ceiling 
to floor with wood of various colours in mosaic 
patterns, and polished columns, etc. The gardens 
are pretty, too, and we were all interested and excited 
over two magnificent tigers they have there. They 
are in an enormous cage, and, far from being sleepy 
as they look in England, they rushed about, growhng 
and flying at the bars, causing us all to retreat 
precipitately — our protector, the cavass, almost 
tumbling down in his alarm. 

Thursday, 2Sth. — Had a dinner of fourteen, and a 
dance of a hundred after. Happily, one is able to 
do this very simply here — ^just a refreshment- table 
with sandwiches, tea, cakes, etc. It was a hot 
night, but the doors into the garden were open, and 



i88i] VISIT TO AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS 155 

people danced vigorously, and roamed about outside 
to cool. 

Friday, 26th. — Bairam. We were all much dis- 
appointed at not being allowed to go to the great 
ceremonies ; but it appears that so many people 
asked for tickets that they could not all get them, 
and so the Sultan let no one go. I was consoled first 
by the fact that we should have had to get up at 
four — and secondly, by knowing that I was to see 
a harem in the afternoon. 

I had received permission to visit a daughter of 
the great Mehemet Ali, a Princess of Egypt, who 
keeps up the old style ; she is a widow. 

When we arrived, Katie and I and a lady who 
is staying with Count Corti, we were shown into a 
very large room, or hall, laid down with matting, 
and at first sight containing no furniture, though 
there were really some low divans and mattresses on 
the floor. We were received by a rather plain old 
lady, in a white princess dress, short hair, and a 
muslin turban or fez, with a large emerald brooch to 
fasten it behind. She wore an enormous gold medal 
as a brooch, which the English gave to her father, 
and which had an inscription on it. Her watch had 
rows of diamonds on it, and on one side Mehemet 
Ali's portrait, on the other his arms. There were 
lots of diamonds at the other end of the chain and 
seals, etc. On her finger a big diamond. She pos- 
sesses splendid jewels, but unhappily most of them 
were in town, she said. We shook hands, and passed 
through into another room, where we sat down on 
a divan and smoked cigarettes (yes, both of us), 
and drank coffee out of diamond-encrusted cups, 
and ate bonbons which were carried in on a table 
with a splendid velvet embroidery hanging over it. 
There must have been from seventy to a hundred girls 
in the large room, and they came in and passed out. 



156 A HAREM [ch. hi 

and brought things, and stood with folded arms, 
and we looked at them and their dresses. They all 
wore bright colours, and all had a muslin turban or 
some ribbons or something on their heads. Their 
dresses were mostly thin silk, and so long that even 
when they lifted one end, and tucked it into the band 
at their waist, it still trailed on the ground, I was 
very glad to find Princess Halim and her sons (young j 
boys) there. We know them, and, as they speak j 
French and English, it was much easier to carry on j 
the conversation. Another old and very fat lady | 
came in and squatted on a mattress, smoking. | 

Presently, in the large room, eight or ten girls 
began to play different instruments. The music was 1 
Turkish, and very peculiar and monotonous. One j 
girl had a fiddle, and several had tambourines, and j 
they sang or rather crooned some melancholy ditties. 
This went on for some time, and then another set 
gave us Egyptian music, different instruments and 
slightly different music. We stayed about an hour 
and a half, and occupied ourselves principally in 
looking at the innumerable women flitting about, 
and at their dresses, I saw no pretty faces. There 
was one with golden hair and painted face, very 
unlike the others. We wondered who she was. 

The princess is a clever old woman. She adopts 
and brings up these girls, and I suppose, in time, 
marries them, I thought the harem life must 
be very dull ; there was not a symptom anywhere of 
any employment. We got on very well as to con- 
versation, but there is nothing to relate, I was rather 
amused at the old lady, who, hearing that Princess 
Radzivill (the visitor with me), had married at 
fifteen, asked her if it was a love match. 

Princess Halim suggested what a fine room it would 
be for a ball, " if we gave such things." I asked 
her if the ladies ever danced together, but she said, 



i88i] DANCING DERVISHES 157 

" there would be no charm in that." However, she 
said she " would much rather travel than go to a 
ball." We parted with many compliments and 
messages from our hostess to D. 

Tuesday, '^oth. — I went into town with the children 
to see the Dancing Dervishes. We lunched at the 
Embassy at Pera, and then proceeded to the place 
where they perform. We were shown upstairs, and 
found ourselves in a gallery, which made the square 
room into an octagon shape, and which looked down 
upon the parquet prepared for the Dervishes. In the 
next partition in the gallery were four most superior 
Dervishes. One in pink, one in green, others in brown 
and grey cloaks with loose sleeves. Their head-dress 
is a tall brown or white felt hat like a clown's. In 
the " ball-room " there were seventeen dressed in the 
same fashion, but in various shades of brown, and 
with bare feet. The chief had a green turban round 
his hat, and his cloak reached to the ground. The 
service began with prayers, prostrations, and the 
most extraordinary singing you can imagine. It 
proceeded from our neighbours in the gallery, and, 
with all my sense of reverence for other people's 
devotions, I could not but think- it funny to hear 
such odd sounds proceeding from the mouth of the 
grave green gentleman. The singing of the man in 
pink, accompanied by a pressure of his hands upon 
his chest, and an inclination of his figure, which 
ended by bringing his forehead to the ground, the 
voice meanwhile appearing to emerge from the depths, 
was irresistibly suggestive of a sea voyage. 

The performers below were sitting on their heels 
during these prayers, every now and then falling for- 
wards on their faces. The chief man sat opposite 
the gallery, in the dancing enclosure, on a mat spread 
for him. Once he took up the role of minister, and, 
with his hands open before him, recited something. 



158 DANCING DERVISHES [ch. hi 

When this service had been going on for some time 
the man in green suddenly produced a long cane, 
and, blowing into one end of it, brought forth some 
feeble sounds by way of music. The seventeen below 
squatted round the enclosure. Presently one got 
up, and we saw that he had, in some mysterious 
manner, become possessed of a long white skirt ; 
and then all the others gradually lengthened out into 
white petticoats. We saw, afterwards, that these 
were all tied up with a string round the waist. The 
pipes (four) in the gallery now played as vigorously 
as they could, and the chief in the green turban, 
gravely bowing to the assembly, stepped forward 
and walked slowly round the room followed by all 
the others in procession. When he got back to his 
mat he took his place again, and as each Dervish 
came up to him and bowed, kissing the front of his 
dress, the chief stooped and kissed his ear, and the 
Dervishes continued to march slowly round. The 
second time they passed, it was very pretty and 
graceful to look at. As the man reached the corner 
of the mat he stopped and bowed profoundly, with 
his arms crossed on his breast ; then with two steps, 
and keeping his face to the chief, he reached the other 
corner of the mat, and turned again, bowing pro- 
foundly, this time to the Dervish following him, who 
was now at his original place. As the procession 
went round, there were always two making these 
profound salutations across the mat, and the regu- 
larity and grace of it were very striking. The second 
time they went round the Dervish began to turn 
slowly the moment he had made his bow ; at first his 
arms were crossed, but after a few turns he stretched 
them out, and when the whole seventeen were turning 
at once, with distended white garments, and out- 
stretched arms, it really was a most curious thing to 
see. Their feet were bare, and one could not see how 



i88i] THE TREASURY 159 

they moved, or what step enabled them to get round 
so smoothly. 

They got to look quite like machines, but some 
did it better than others. Unfortunately, we forgot 
to time them, but they go on for a surprisingly long 
time, and when they finish they bow as profoundly 
and as steadily as ever. When twisting, they do 
not appear to move, but in reality they do change 
places. At the end of the twirl they again go round, 
in procession, and begin again as before. They all 
take off their cloaks before dancing, and appear only 
in white jackets and skirts ; and when they have 
finished and begin to pray again, some one goes 
round and covers them up with their cloaks. 

Thursday, Sept. ist. — ^We went to see the Treasury, 
and the big Palace to-day. There is a great fuss about 
getting permission for the Treasury, and when you 
get there a host of men follow you about, and make 
you feel very ticket-of-leavish. 

I did not care much for it. Precious boxes, and 
watches, daggers, and inlaid trays are charming if 
you can have them in your own room, but all collected 
in glass cupboards, with " touch not, handle not, 
flatten your nose, and see what you can " sort of 
feeling in the air, I do not personally care the least 
for them, and emeralds in a jar, and pearls in a basin, 
are not more beautiful than the ordinary pebble, 
when they are stowed away in the dark recesses of 
these cupboards. 

Of course there are lovely things, but you will 
appreciate them far more if you read about them 
than if you go to see them and have to pay all the 
policemen who stand over you, largely for their 
trouble. The thing that did interest me sounds 
frivolous — the dresses of about thirty Sultans, begin- 
ning with " Mahmoud, the Conqueror." The turbans 
and the daggers^began by being enormous, and they 



i6o THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENT [ch. hi 

gradually grew smaller, till one fine day when a 
certain enterprising Sultan jumped from his oriental 
robes, and large white head-dress, into a sort of 
lancer uniform, and a red fez. There the illustrations 
stop. 

We were taken round by an A.D.C. of the Sultan, 
a young man who served six years in the Russian 
army, fought with it, and was wounded by the Turks, 
ran away from the Russians, and, like the Prodigal of 
old, has had the fatted calf and the ring of gold for 
his portion, on his return. We were given a spoonful 
of rose jam, a glass of water, and cigarettes (for the 
men), before leaving. 

Next we went to Dolmah Batchi, the Palace. I 
was much disappointed with it : bad French furni- 
ture, hideous carpets, horrid pictures, and the one 
magnificent hall in it spoilt — ^first by the dreadful 
bad taste of the painting, and, secondly, by having 
no fine entrance to it. 

Thursday, Sth. — ^The great entertainment for the 
new church came off last night, and so of course 
there was much to do in the day, and, thanks to Mr. 
Sartoris, the stage was lovely, with vines overgrowing 
the outside, and the lighting most successful. 

People began to come before half-past eight, while 
I was busy putting final touches of paint to different 
people. The play Naval Engagements came first, 
and went off admirably, before a hundred and twenty 
people. After it was a lovely trio, and then the 
spectators were allowed to walk about a little 
before the second part began. 

The first tableau was Le Printemps, after the 
picture of that name, and with Gounod's song sung 
to it. I cannot tell you what a lovely effect it had, 
when a mysterious voice was heard in the darkness, 
and when a curtain slowly rolled up, revealing a 
most idyllic picture. 



i88i] ABDUL HAMID i6i 

The boy in a loose brown shirt, with bare arms and 
legs, the girl in pale blue, with bare feet and dis- 
hevelled golden locks, appeared together in a swing. 
The background was a wood, and the scene was the 
success of the night. 

These two pictures were the best, but the others 
were also very pretty. Freddy sat beautifully in 
his. He was on the floor playing with a net, and the 
group consisted of Italian peasants and fisherwomen. 

I am happy to say every one was pleased, and 
that all went off admirably. The music was beautiful, 
and I hear a rage for tableaux-vivants has set in. 

Mr. Kennedy asked us all to supper afterwards, 
and he had it most beautifully arranged in the secre- 
taries' house — Chinese lanterns, bouquets for the 
ladies, flags, a band, etc. 

Friday, gth. — Next morning we went to Pera in 
the steam launch, to see the Sultan go to mosque. 

Sir Alfred Sanderson went with us, and we arrived 
quite early, and saw everything. The Sultan is in 
such fear of his life (a mania he has), that he goes 
to a mosque quite close to his gate ; but, although 
the space is small, it is a very fine sight. 

One sees quantities of soldiers, and very fine ones 
they are, numbers of most picturesque dresses, and 
some very gorgeous ones. We stood on the steps of 
a guard-house, half-way between the gate of the 
Palace, and the mosque — so that we could see the 
whole route plainly. Troops lined the whole space, 
and different bands played all the time. 

When the Sultan was ready, the gates opened, 
and all the Pashas walked first in their fine uniforms, 
and behind them came the Sultan on a splendid 
horse. He is small, and very pale and melancholy- 
looking, and he just glanced out sideways at where 
we stood. Then he went into the mosque, and the 
service lasted half an hour. 



i62 THE SALAMNIK [ch. hi 

When it was over, but before he came out, all the 
troops left, and this was a very interesting part of 
the performance, as they passed us twice. The 
space being limited, they went up, turned round, and 
marched back again. The two columns going in 
different directions, the music and the dresses, all 
made this a very fine sight. The Sultan's own black 
regiment with green turbans was a feature of it. 
The Sultan drove back in a victoria lined with blue 
satin, some splendidly dressed footmen running by 
him. 

He sent his secretary to tell me he was glad to see 
me, and that, if the Ambassador had been present, he 
would have asked to see him. 

One of the ladies of the Harem had come in a 
carriage to look on, and, as she drove away, she threw 
money out of the window, upon which, beggars 
swarmed into the place, and such a scramble ensued 
as you cannot imagine. The cripples threw away 
their crutches, and grovelled on the ground in search 
of the coppers ; fezes were lost in the scrimmage, the 
most picturesque and barbarous confusion prevailed, 
and, finally, when a chamberlain continued the 
largesse, he was set upon by the crowd and almost 
torn to pieces, the soldiers having great difficulty in 
keeping the greedy mob off him and off us. We saw 
some bloody cheeks, and heard a few howls, but five 
minutes after every one looked as good-tempered as 
possible. 

Monday, 12th. — ^We had a delightful sail to the 
Islands, where we all got on donkeys, and rode up 
to the top of " Prinkipo." One of the children was 
ill, and D. was too busy to come, so they spoilt by 
their absence what was to have been a complete 
family party, and a farewell to the boys who now 
return to school. We dined on board the Antelope, 
and, unluckily, the captain accepted my invitation, 



i88i] SCUTARI . 163 

and was at table when a crash was heard overhead. 
We ran into a brig which did us some Httle damage ; 
she was carrying no Hght. 

Thursday, i^th. — D. went to see the Sultan, and 
had a satisfactory interview. His Majesty wishes to 
see the " Hero of the Bosphorus " (Archie). He had 
his horses shown to D. 

In the evening Prince and Princess Halim dined 
with us. D. was permitted to be present, and we 
had a great discussion about the men servants, but 
finally settled to let them wait on us. She came in 
her yashm.ak, which I undid for her, and wore an 
order over her shoulder and diamonds in her hair. 
We were eight ladies and two gentlemen, and after 
dinner we all had to smoke. Though she is very nice, 
it is hard to talk to her, as she does not carry on a 
conversation, and one has to be continually inventing 
new subjects. 

Thursday, 22nd. — Mr. and Mrs. Plunkett leave next 
Wednesday for Paris, where he has been appointed 
first secretary, and, as they were very anxious to see 
the Howling Dervishes before going, we went with 
them to-day in our lovely steam launch, and had a 
picnic lunch in her on our way to Scutari. When 
we got there we had time to drive up to a hill from 
which we had a magnificent view, the Sea of Marmora 
on one side, a bird's-eye view of Constantinople and 
the Golden Horn, and the Bosphorus winding its way 
to the Black Sea, and plains with distant mountains 
on the other, completing the circle. Then we pro- 
ceeded to the mosque, having rattled over the 
roughest roads you can imagine, we inside the 
carriage knocking against each other, and feeling at 
every moment on the verge of going over. 

Scutari is a most picturesque, dirty, characteristic- 
looking village, and I walked through it on our way 
back, so as to enjoy the sight of the inhabitants and 



i64 HOWLING DERVISHES [ch. in 

the funny little shops. One feature of a Turkish 
village at this time is the fruit. The greengrocers' 
shops are lovely ! The walls are covered with rows 
and rows of melons and pumpkins of every size and 
colour, and a great sloping counter is laid out with 
tomatoes, cucumbers, " aubergines " (which in the 
dictionary is " mad-apple " in English), a long, purple 
fruit, figs, etc., and all along the streets in every 
available place one sees great hampers of white 
grapes, which even the beggars feed upon I These 
are famous grapes, and the proper way to eat them, 
is to put about ten into your mouth at once ; they 
only have one seed each ; their skins are thin, and 
they really are delicious ; the very thought of these 
lovely fruits has carried me away from the Dervishes. 

In case your ideas on the subject should have been 
similar to my own, I will correct your wrong impres- 
sions. The greater number of the performers are not 
Dervishes at all, but are passers-by who volunteer 
to come in and howl, or who are moved by the spirit 
to do so ; their powers of working themselves into 
hysterics vary, therefore, and on this occasion they 
were not great. 

We were admitted into the mosque, which is very 
small — a narrow passage is railed off on three sides 
of it, and upstairs is a little gallery where we sat. 
The Sheik wore a black surplice and a turban, and he 
was very grave and calm and dignified all the time. 
He sat on a rug at one end, and opposite him, with 
their backs to the railing, stood the worshippers. 
Altogether we saw about twenty, but they did not 
all go on all the time — two hours. When they meant 
to begin seriously, a man came round with white 
skull-caps, which they put on in place of their fezes ; 
and when they were well into the thing, some of them 
threw off their robes and displayed themselves in a 
single white garment, which was soon wringing wet. 



i88i] HOWLING DERVISHES 165 

The best performers were black men, and very- 
hideous they did look. They stood in a row, and none 
of them ever moved their feet, but they threw them- 
selves backwards and forwards, and seemed to be 
doing their very best to get excited ; and the blacks 
twisted about their heads, and contorted all their 
muscles, and one of them contrived to look very 
horrible indeed. The most dreadful sounds pro- 
ceeded from his chest, and I really began to think, 
" If they all get like that, it will be very disagreeable 
indeed " ; but when there was a pause, even the 
worst of them stopped at once, and seemed neither 
out of breath nor anything but very hot, and at the 
end, when we came out, we saw the most violent of 
them all quite well, and calmly enjoying a cigarette. 

The chief joined, in a very gentle manner, towards 
the end, and did not even warm himself, and then he 
retired to his niche, and another interesting ceremony 
was begun. Babies (supposed to be sick) were 
brought in and laid on the floor for him to walk upon. 
One was such a miserable little creature, I felt quite 
nervous about it ; but I soon saw the Sheik knew 
what he was about. It is surprising that a baby's 
body can stand the weight, but evidently if you know 
where to place your foot the infant is unhurt. 

Tuesday, Sept. 2'jth. — ^The weather quite awful, and 
all the subscribers are in a great state of mind about 
the ball which is being given to the officers of the 
Antelope. Every one has subscribed, except the 
Heads of Missions, who are invited. It is difficult to 
get out here in bad weather, as there are so few 
carriages, and it is so disagreeable for ladies in full 
dress to get in and out of boats. I had several 
visitors all bemoaning themselves, and at half-past 
nine we got into our carriage, the wind howling and 
the rain pouring. 

The ball committee hired a house for the occasion 



i66 ISMID [CH. Ill 

and it was decorated with flags, and there were 
chandeHers made with swords and pistols, etc. We 
began at ten, and danced till four in the morning. I 
was rather horrified to find that the coachman, not 
having received any orders, had stood at the door 
the whole night ! He was scolded for his stupidity. 

Tuesday, Oct. 2$th. — ^The time has arrived for moving 
into Pera, and I feel quite low at leaving Therapia, 
and having before me the prospect of a new start, 
new house, new life ! 

Everything is bare now, and boxes are lying about 
gaping and asking to be filled. Everything one may 
happen to want has already gone, and it is only the 
useless things that stick by one to the last. It is 
really dreadful the idea of moving everything twice 
a year. We pack, take a last look at the tennis 
ground, and the gardens, and then we dress for 
dinner. We are invited by the wardroom officers of 
the Antelope to dine with them, and we have settled 
to sleep on board, starting in the night to go to Ismid 
and spend a day there. 

The dinner was beautifully arranged on the bridge, 
which was all covered in with flags, and decorated 
with flowers, the wheel looking particularly pretty 
with its garlands of Virginian creeper. 

Wednesday , 26th. — I believe the night was rather 
rough, but I knew nothing about it, and we were in 
the Gulf of Ismid for breakfast. When we anchored, 
we went ashore, a party of nine, taking lunch with us, 
and determined to see all that was to be seen of the 
ancient " Nicomedia." 

This once great city is now a collection of very 
poor wooden houses ; very few stones of its walls 
remain. We went through the bazaars and the 
streets, saw an Armenian church, and the graves of 
those who were killed by the bursting of the gun on 
board the Thunderer. Had a merry luncheon in the 








^?# 









ifil 




Na- 






THE FRENCH EMBASSY, THERAPIA. 
From a sketch by Miss Florence Wyndham. 



i88i] CONSTANTINOPLE 167 

corner of a field, and then climbed up a high hill to 
see the view. We had two donkeys to help us a 
little. A great excitement on the way was, the 
finding of " Trapdoor spiders," and trying to dig 
them out with their houses. We succeeded in bring- 
ing home three. The little house is carefully lined, 
and at its mouth is a door which opens and shuts, and 
the spider lives inside and devours flies at his leisure. 
I can't find any account of these creatures, so I don't 
know whether the flies " walk into his parlour," or 
whether he goes out to look for them. As mine must 
lead an artificial life, I pin down the doors, and put 
flies in once a day. I also became the happy possessor 
of a fascinating little tortoise. 

The view over the Gulf of Ismid was well worth the 
climb, and when we went back to the Antelope we 
all agreed we had had a most charming afternoon. 

We asked three of the officers to dine with us, and 
they sang afterwards. At midnight we started for 
our new home. It has been a very short holiday, but 
D. dreads an accumulation of business, and won't stay 
any longer. 

Thursday, 2'jth. — ^We got to Constantinople early 
and breakfasted on board. 

On arrival at our Embassy I immediately began to 
arrange my things, and to try and get one room to 
look habitable, and after lunch we explored the 
garden, and visited stables, laundry, church, gardener's 
house, etc. All these buildings open into the garden. 
Happily the sun shines, and gives us cheerful 
impressions of our palace. We have had a walk in 
the streets, a thing we do as new people. The shops 
are not worth looking at ; the pavements are 
extremely bad, and ladders, pianos, water- barrels, 
beds, etc., walk about upon men's backs, so that one 
has to look down at one's toes lest one should fall 
into some hole, or trip over some stone ; then, behind 
12 



i6S BAIRAM [CH. Ill 

and on every side so as not to be knocked down by 
any of the perambulating loads projecting far beyond 
their bearers' heads. It is not a sociable walk, for 
one is too occupied to talk. The dogs which sleep 
comfortably in the very middle of the narrow path 
add another difficulty, and a dignified and stately 
gait is impossible. 

However, one takes in, during one's side-glances, 
an immense number of picturesque figures. In fact, 
every native is a picture, and it is very interesting to 
watch them. 

Wednesday, Nov. 2nd. — ^We had rather an adven- 
turous ride, for just when we got on to an exposed 
and dusty common, the most fearful squall came on, and 
the dust flew in such clouds that we could not see 
an inch before us. We turned our backs to it, but 
the moment there was a temporary lull we rode down 
into a sort of area, and there remained more than a 
quarter of an hour. When we emerged we were 
covered with dust, and all looked as if we had had 
falls from our horses ; we had many another terrible 
mouthful of the dust before we got out of the streets 
on to a grass field. This storm swept all over the 
town, 'and delighted the children, who pretended 
to be camels, and lay down to let it pass over them. 
It is the eve of the second Bairam, and every 
native seems to have provided himself with a sheep 
to kill to-morrow, partly as a sacrifice, partly as a 
feast. The sheep here are most fascinating ; they have 
such long silky wool, and are so large, and many of 
them are got up for the occasion with paint on their 
cheeks or backs, and gold on their horns ; but the 
funniest thing to see is the way they are carried home. 
We passed many men with them on their backs, 
holding a paw in each hand over their shoulders, just 
as one would take a child. One man I saw on horse- 
back, with a great live sheep lying across his knees, 



i88i] THE STREET DOGS 169 

and a few are dragged and pushed unceremoniously 
along much like Irish pigs. 

Before we got; home the minarets were lighted 
with three rows of lamps, forming a band of light 
round the largest part of the circle. 

The squall brought up the clouds, and I think we 
are losing our lovely weather. 

Certainly it is impossible to exaggerate the noise 
of the Constantinople dogs. We live entre cour ei 
jardin, still at night I can hear a distant roar of 
barking, which in the streets must be intolerable ; 
and added to them is the tramp of the watchman. 
He does not go on the principle of surprising the 
unwary, but announces his approach most systemati- 
cally, by tapping the iron point of his stick along the 
curb-stones- as he walks. That is the way I should 
feel inclined to do if I thought robbers were about, 
but I should not have thought it was the best plan 
for a policeman to go upon. 

Thursday, 3rc?. — Drove to do a round of visits. 
Such a business, rough-and-ready pavements, and very 
ready ruts and holes, and such narrow places to 
turn in, and such impossible places to walk down. 
I saw the Russian and French Embassies, but will 
describe them another day. 

Saturday, $th. — Such a horrid, cold, wet day. In 
spite of the weather, we kept an engagement we had 
made to go and visit the Student Interpreters' 
College, and very cold and wet, when we got there, 
were we. Their house is at Ortakui. There are six 
of them, and they have an Armenian teacher living 
with them. It seems to me an excellent opening 
for a needy young man, especially if he has any turn 
for languages. The students are kept and lodged, 
and have ;^200 a year for five years while studying, 
and then, if they behave well, they are sure of appoint- 
ments as consuls or dragomans. The college is always 



170 THE BAZAAR [ch. hi 

under one member of the Embassy, and Mr. Nicol- 
son is now their chief. 

Sunday, 6th. — We went a walk in the afternoon 
right over to Stamboul and up to the Pigeon Mosque 
there, in front of which we saw the Turks enjoying 
the last day of the second Bairam. Grave gentle- 
men in turbans swinging, and children in merry-go- 
rounds. 

Tuesday, Sth. — ^At last I have been to the " Bazaar." 
Mrs. Hanson took Katie and me. She came for us 
about eleven, and we decided to go in a thoroughly 
plebeian manner, no cavass, or sign of Ambassa- 
dorial dignity. You have no idea how thoroughly 
" Monarch of all I survey " one feels, walking with a 
cavass through the town ; every biped and four- 
footed creature is ruthlessly thrust out of the way 
by the magnificent creature who swaggers in front of 
one, with his sword in one hand and his whip in the 
other. 

This time we had only a very shabby old Turk 
of Mrs. Hanson's carrying a carpet-bag. We walked 
to the underground railway station, and prepared to 
go down the tunnel. You go down in one set' of 
carriages, the weight of which pulls another set 
up. We went second-class, because, in case of a 
smash, it appears safer than the first. Then we 
trudged through some crowded streets, and got into 
a caique, which took us over the Golden Horn, then 
a cab conveyed us to the Bazaar. It is a most 
amusing place, full of every sort of odd costume. It 
is not very light, but one sees all sorts of things — 
china, carpets, jewellery, etc., etc., in little shops 
round it ; and when you begin to bargain for some- 
thing it is quite a new experience. 

You are told something is worth £i,, and you 
immediately offer ;^i . The man says that all in his 
shop is yours — " that he will give you a present of 



i88i] THE BAZAAR 171 

it," etc. You produce your one pound and put it 
down. He sweeps it away, but you calmly take hold 
of the article you wish to buy, and generally walk 
off with it, while he shrugs his shoulders and says 
he is ruined, at the same time picking up the money 
and putting it in his purse. 

One charming old Turk produced coffee, which we 
drank in the intervals of bargaining. 

Then we thought we would like to taste " Kabobs," 
so we got into a thing that looked much like a cab- 
men's shelter, and, sitting by several Street Arabs, 
tasted some tough specimens of a very good dish. 
We also had rather a nice Turkish dish — squares of 
a sort of blanc-mange with Devonshire cream and 
sugar. A walk through the Drug Bazaar finished our 
inspection. It is very pretty, with its bowls full of 
brilliant- coloured powders, and there are some old 
wood-carvings along the top of it. 

Friday, nth. — D. went to the Selamnik. He 
arrived rather late for the procession, but the Sultan 
returned from the mosque on horseback, instead of 
in a carriage, so that D. might see him. 

Saturday, 12th. — In the evening we had a dinner, 
the chief guest being Monsignor Vanutelli, the 
Pope's Legate, a very tall man looking splendid in 
his purple silk cloak. 

Monday, 14th. — K. and I paid visits, being carried 
in Sedan-chairs ; the motion going up-hill is not 
pleasant, but on rough pavements and precipices 
such as there are here it is not a bad means of pro- 
gression. 

Tuesday, 22nd. — ^A bazaar has been arranged to 
i pay off a debt on the organ in our church. About 
sixty pounds have been spent locally in buying water- 
jugs, dessert service, marking-ink and nail-brushes, 
[ and there is absolutely nothing to raffle or to thrust 
upon gentlemen victims, so the frivolous members of 



172 A DINNER PARTY [ch. hi 

the committee have to set to work to try to pay 
the debt by means of tea, cake, fortune-telHng, and 
a fish-pond. Fortunes were written out beforehand, 
and, as the fortune-tellers know every one, they will be 
very successful in always saying the right thing to their 
clients. 

Thursday, 24th. — ^The plot succeeded, and the for- 
tune-tellers made ^^13 by their divinations ; the sum 
made by the bazaar was ;£200. 

In the evening we gave a grand dinner to the Turks, 
our first entertainment here. By some happy inspi- 
ration I was dressed by twenty minutes past seven (we 
dined at eight), and calmly entered my drawing-room 
at that hour to see if all was nicely arranged, when I 
found a Turk already there ! Luckily he spoke 
French — but I was left fully twenty minutes alone 
with accumulating Turks, and all the few possible 
subjects of conversation were being used up, and 
I was feeling very shy before any help in the 
shape of dragomans, secretaries, or a husband ap- 
peared. 

We were thirty at dinner, and we had a band. My 
neighbours " The Grand Vizier," Said Pasha, and 
the Minister for Foreign Affairs, " Assym Pasha," 
both spoke French, so we got on very well, and Katie 
sat between the latter and the " Minister for Eccle- 
siastical Properties," also a French-speaking Turk. 
The whole thing was much less solemn than I had 
expected, and I think they really enjoyed it, and were 
pleased at the thing being well done, and the evident 
care taken to receive them with honour. I invited 
the Corps Diplomatique to meet them afterwards, and 
the band played on, and people seemed to enjoy 
themselves very much. 

Friday, 2^th. — I went with Mrs. Heap to see the 
wife of a Pasha. He was once Grand Vizier, and is 
really a Tunisian. As she cannot speak French, we 



i88i] A TURKISH FAMILY 173 

had to have the husband to translate, which always 
spoils a visit to a Turkish lady. They offered us 
neither coffee, sweets, nor cigarettes, which was 
unusual. 

The lady is handsome, but wore an ugly kind of 
back tarlatan pork-pie, and a European dress. 
Three daughters came in ; one a bride, engaged since 
three years of age, and just married. She had a long 
blue silk gown and diamond necklace, she looked very 
languid and dull. A second daughter was in pink, 
and the third, not yet nine, wore a very long yellow 
silk dress, with a train, her hair done up and a 
flower in it. The father talked French ; he seemed 
devoted to this child, and told us she governed the 
house. 

Presently he ordered his second daughter to play 
to us, and a servant came in to open the piano. He 
stopped her in the middle, and said it was too much 
noise ; and then he made the married one play. This 
must as yet be a very rare accomplishment for 
Turkish women. 

When we came in the harem door was locked upon 
us, and when we went out the key was safely turned 
upon its inmates. The Pasha then showed us his 
part of the house. The seats are always arranged 
straight round the room, and there is seldom anything 
in the middle of it. He had, however, a table with 
books on it, and in his own room he had bookshelves 
(filled), and several instruments, electric and micro- 
scopic, etc. 

On my way home I went to the German Embassy 
" Day," always a dull performance. I am struggling 
not to have mine, that is not to be at home to visitors 
one afternoon, till after Christmas. I really think 
seven months of it is too much of a good thing, for I 
have it in the summer too. 

Saturday, 26th. — We went to a charming little dance 



174 A PERSIAN CEREMONY [ch. iii 

in the evening at the Swedish Legation. There were 
few people, and every one danced vigorously. 

D. went to see a wonderful Persian ceremony, of 
which he has written me this account : 



" The Persians, who are Shiites, hold in highest 
reverence Hussein the son of Ali, who was himself 
the son of Mahomet. Hussein lost his life at Kerbela 
near the Euphrates, whither he had gone with his 
wife and children and some seventy followers, to 
claim the Caliphate, counting upon the support of 
the people of Kouffa. These, however, failed him in 
the time of need, and his small party were surrounded 
by the troops of the actual Caliph, and killed to a man 
in a succession of single combats, Hussein himself 
being the last to fall. His wife and an infant son were 
the only persons who managed to escape from the 
fatal field. In the course of time a * congeries * of 
poems and legends gathered round Hussein's name 
and the event, and every year a tragedy which lasts 
nine days is performed to celebrate this martyrdom. 
The Persian colony in Constantinople keep the feast 
with great solemnity, which culminates in a ceremony 
which I witnessed. 

" At sunset we repaired to a great khan in Stamboul. 
Entering through a fine old portal, we found our- 
selves in a large square surrounded by high buildings, 
with a mosque or fountain in the centre. The ground- 
floors of these buildings are ordinarily employed as 
shops, but on the present occasion they were used 
like boxes in a play, and were crowded with spec- 
tators. A regular course was formed by ropes and 
Turkish guards right round the square, on either side 
of which all those who could not be accommodated 
in the boxes were crowded to watch the procession. 
Its approach was announced by a loud rhythmic 
thud, which was accompanied by the men who com- 
posed it beating their naked breasts in response to the 
cadence of a hymn which was intoned by the officiat- 
ing priest. In advance of the mass of the procession 
there came half a dozen men naked down to their 



i88i] A PERSIAN CEREMONY 175 

waists, and beating time on their shoulders with their 
heavy chain-whips, which they flung first over one 
shoulder and then over the other, until their backs 
were bloody with the discipline. The crowd marched 
three times round the square, and then gave place 
to a still more extraordinary spectacle. This was 
intended to represent the mournful return of the wives 
of Hussein to Medina from the scene of the slaughter. 
First came three or four horses bearing his arms, his 
steel helmet, his bow, his quiver, and his buckler. 
Then others carrying a covered palanquin, in which 
were seated boys dressed as women to represent the 
harem of the saint. These were followed by rows of 
children carrying candles, and all dressed in black 
calico. The whole scene, I must say, was illuminated 
by a profusion of candles, and by bale-fires placed in 
buckets along the course, which shed a lurid light on 
the performance. 

" After the boys there followed some more men, 
lashing their backs with iron scourges, and various 
weird-looking figures chanting and gesticulating. 
Then came the sight. Two rows of wild fanatics who 
had worked themselves up into a state of frenzy 
during the course of their nine days' celebration of 
the festival, linked arm in arm, and each covered 
with a white robe. Their heads were shaven, and 
every man held a sword. They walked sideways, 
with their backs towards the spectators. Between 
them, marching up and down, were priests and 
saints gesticulating, chanting, singing, and exciting 
their fury, which they expressed by slashing their 
foreheads and the crowns of their heads with their 
swords, cutting the flesh to the bones till the blood 
flowed down in streams over their faces, necks, and 
white mantles. Three times they passed round, each 
time presenting a spectacle which deepened in its 
horror. The last time, indeed, they ceased to look 
human, so wild were their gestures, and so stained 
and disfigured were they by their gore. The whole 
air was filled with the smell of blood. Some fainted, 
others still tottered along supported by their friends, 
their white faces looking still more ghastly in contrast 



176 O'DONOVAN'S ADVENTURES [ch. hi 

with the red streams which trickled, or rather poured, 
from their gaping scalps. Behind them followed a 
set of men armed with sticks, whose duty it was as 
far as possible to mitigate the force of the blows they 
dealt themselves, by intercepting the blows of the 
swords before they touched the victims' foreheads, 
but the zeal of the celebrants constantly beat down 
these ineffectual barriers. In the procession were 
three or four children, staggering along after their 
elders in the same frantic fashion, the line being 
brought up by a little fellow of six or seven, whose 
sword, however, they had taken the precaution to 
blunt, but he kept striking his forehead as furiously 
as the rest. 

"The Persians present told us that no serious result 
followed from this performance, and that the wounds 
are supposed to heal miraculously. Three or four 
days after, however, there was a rumour that some 
of the men had died ; but this may not have been 
true." 

I meant to have gone to hear Mr. O 'Donovan lecture 
but was unable to do so. He was a prisoner in Merv 
for nine months, wrote letters to the Daily News, and 
ended by being appointed their Ambassador by the 
Turcomans, and, having a robe of honour put upon 
him, was escorted to the frontier by a guard of honour 
and was saluted by twenty-one guns. He tells the 
most wonderful stories of his adventures — for he came 
to dine with us. He has a strong accent of some 
kind, not exactly a brogue, and, as he fiercely pulls 
his moustache, his eyes gleam, and he half gets 
off his chair with excitement. He has been in 
French, Spanish, Russian, and Turcoman wars, and 
so has plenty to tell, and now he goes home to 
write a book, which he will call From a Prison to, 
a Throne. 

Have I told you that we are actually going to acti 
our Great Grandfather's play, The Critic? Is it noti 
ambitious of us ? Our caste is as follows : 



i88i] 



THE CRITIC 



177 



Tilburina 

Confidante 

Two Nieces 

Don Wkiskerandos 

Sir Christopher Hatton 

Lord Leicester . 

Governor of the Fort 

Sir W. Raleigh . 

Master of the Horse 

Lord Burleigh . 

Beefeater 

Sentinels 

Mr. Puff 

Dangle 

Sneer 

Prompter . 



Lady Dufferin 

Helen Blackwood 

Mrs. Goschen — Miss Hamilton 

Major Swaine 

Colonel James Baker, V.C. 

Mr. Bland 

Mr. Kennedy 1 

Hon. C. Hardinge * 

Mr. Nicolson ' 

Hon. R. Bourke * 

Mr. Charteris ^ 

Children 

Mr. Goschen * 

Mr. M. Wallace ' 

Mr. Block 

M, Preciozi 



Nelly has been making the most lovely coat of 
arms for one of the dresses in The Critic, and my 
maid Miss Blackwell is inundated with business. 
She has on hand two fancy dresses, two dominoes, 
three ruffs, two Marie Stuart caps, three frills for 
gentlemen, two hats for ditto, etc. etc. It is lucky 
I have one with " a passion for work," which was the 
character I received of her. 

Dec. 26th. — Our performance of The Critic ! We had 
some trouble in the morning, for we had to change 
our Lord Burleigh. We had arranged to have Mr. 
Bourke, then he thought he would have left Con- 
stantinople, so we asked Count Collobiano to do it, 
then the Sultan invited him to dine at the Palace to- 
night, so, as Mr. Bourke had not gone we went back 
to him, and we had to see about his clothes. 

Our local journal had a most flattering notice of 



1 Sir Robert Kennedy, K.C.M.G. 

* Viscount Hardinge of Penshurst. 
3 Lord Camock. 

* Lord Connemara. 
^ Earl Wemyss. 

* Sir Edward Goschen, Bart 

' Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace, K.C.I .E. 



178 A TURKISH LADY [ch. hi 

our performance, and every one seemed to have en- 
joyed the evening, which ended up with a dance. I 
must tell you that the night before we had had a dress 
rehearsal of the piece, the servants being present. 
They liked it, but the coachman said he thought it 
was rather " too scientific." D. was thoroughly 
pleased with it, I am glad to say. A part was created 
for Freddie, and he was as grave as a judge, and did 
it very nicely. We dressed him as a soldier, and he 
marched in with " Whiskerandos " as his jailor. 
When the latter left the stage in tears Freddie marched 
forward and said, " Poor Whiskerandos ! " 

One afternoon I had a very interesting visit from 
a Turkish lady. She is well educated, and speaks 
French beautifully. She wore a thin yashmak, but 
did not take it off. D. came in, and she bitterly 
bewailed the hard fate of oriental women, and said 
that, although she was educating her daughters, she 
often asked herself whether it would not be kinder 
to leave them in ignorance, as it was only the women 
who knew nothing who could be happy here. 

She praised her husband, but said how illogical it 
was that she must not be seen out with him any- 
where, though poor women go about with theirs. 
She is " at home " on Tuesdays — and I shall go to 
see her. 

The children are very happy here. The little ones 
like it better than Therapia, and say they find some- 
thing new to do every day. 

That is to say, one day they try to make the 
donkeys jump, another day they harness them in the 
cart ; one day they play with the cats, another climb 
trees, and to-day the excitement is quite intense, 
because I have allowed them to pick up a scavenger 
puppy, whose acquaintance they have made in the 
streets ; so they are going out to look for him, and 
hope to domesticate him in the garden. 



i88i] AN IMPORTANT EVENT 179 

These street dogs really are nice animals, so grateful 
for the smallest attention ; in the day-time they are 
as quiet as mice, and sleep peacefully right in the way 
of everybody ; at night they wake up, and certainly 
do make a noise. 

Tuesday, 6th. — ^We had a small dance, seventy 
people. It went off very well indeed. We danced in 
the blue drawing-room. 

Wednesday , jth. — K. and I called on Madame Halim 
Pasha . We were handed a tray on which were a bowl 
of sticky sweet stuff, spoons, and mugs of water. I 
made a dash at how to use them, but soon saw that 
I did quite the wrong thing. The lady of the house 
ate a morsel of the jam, drank a little water, and then 
left the spoon in it. 

Tuesday, 20th. — I have been very busy with doing 
nothing, and have not kept up my journal for the last 
ten days, so now I can only tell you of one important 
event that has happened. 

On the tenth, Mr.^ and Mrs. Wyndham arrived to 
take Mr. Plunkett's place. They want a house, 
and find great difficulty in getting one. They have 
one child with them, and two more coming. The 
one already here suits my children exactly, having 
the same tastes for donkeys, puppies, and cats. 

Sunday, Christmas Day. — ^We had church service 
in the morning, and then the children were to have 
had their presents, but a " Pasha " was with their 
father, and they waited till after lunch ; but when 
we had all done the Pasha was still there, and at 
last Freddie's feelings overcame him, and without 
saying anything he went off to the " Ambassador's " 
room, walked in, made a bow to the Pasha, who 
salaamed in return, and said clearly, " Dinner is 
ready." He came back and told us what he had 
done, and when it was suggested that probably the 

^ T he late Sir Hugh Wyndham. 



i8o "DINNER IS READY" [ch. hi 

Pasha did not understand English he was quite ready 
to go off and say it in French. There were shouts of 
joy when the visitor really left. 

The whole Embassy dined with us ; we were twenty 
persons in all. 



CHAPTER IV 

WINTER ENTERTAINMENTS 

Sunday, January ist, 1882. — ^There is a great dearth of 
water here, but our supply of that useful article costs 
us three pounds a day. It is a case of " Water, water, 
everywhere," and not a drop to be had. You would 
think the Bosphorus might supply us, but the last 
two or three Sultans have unfortunately believed 
that if they began to construct waterworks they 
would die, so they have left the city very badly 
supplied. 

Monday, 2nd. — Princess Halim was to have dined 
with us to-night, and I had arranged a ladies' dinner 
for her; but she was prevented coming, so then I 
asked the husbands, and one or two people in the 
evening, and we had an impromptu dance which 
every one said was the jolliest they had ever been to. 
All the guests were friends, and they were all in good 
spirits — and we had a tiny cotillon, and the Swedish 
Sir Roger de Coverley, and everything went off as 
well as possible ; but I have begun with the evening, 
and have forgotten the afternoon of this day, which 
was most important. 

The children had long ago issued invitations for a 
tea-party in the schoolroom. The guests assembled 
at half-past four, and in my room upstairs they found 
a little theatre arranged, and rows of seats for the 
audience ; all the performers were behind screens. 
This was a home-made play, called " Snowwhite," 
in which all the children acted very nicely indeed and 

181 



L 



i82 WINTER ENTERTAINMENTS [ch. iv 

the only comic incident which a Httle disturbed us 
all was caused by the page in the play. 

He had learnt his part at home, and had only 
rehearsed once, so the first time he got his cue he 
said his whole part right through to the end ; and 
later on, when I thought I would get him to say the 
end of it in its proper place, he began again at the 
beginning. 

When this was over, we had tea in the schoolroom, 
and then all sorts of games, tournaments, snap-dragon, 
and bobbing for apples followed. The Wyndhams, 
Goschens, and the young men were the guests. They 
are all so nice, and enter heartily into everything. 

Saturday, January 14th. — Snowy and cold. There 
was a ball at the Austrian Embassy last night. It is 
a very difficult place to get to, and K. and I had to 
be carried there in Sedan-chairs. Most people had 
falls, but my men slid along carefully, and I arrived 
safely. Every one was very smart, and it really was 
a very pretty ball. The Persian Ambassadress looked 
on from some concealed niche, while I danced with 
Ambassadors who never had danced before, and who 
are greatly delighted with themselves for beginning 
now. • 

Sunday, i$th. — In the afternoon, through snow and 
cold wind, I had to go to Stamboul, as I had promised 
to call on Princess Halim, while she was staying with 
Princess Zeineb, whose harem on the Bosphorus I 
visited. You will remember if I tell you she is an 
Egyptian Princess, daughter of Mehemet Ali. 

They certainly do live in an uncomfortable way. 
The house is very large, but the passage to the harem 
is very cold and draughty. 

There was an open fireplace in the room, but all 
the " females " in it were wearing loose fur jackets, 
and looked very plain and shapeless. Most of them 
have short hair, and they wear httle tarlatan turbans. 



1 



i882] WINTER ENTERTAINMENTS 183 

Two Syrian women were sitting on the floor making 
the most unearthly sounds by way of singing, which 
sounds I was constantly appealed to, to admire. K. and 
I sat in seats of honour and smoked and drank coffee. 
I get on very well with Princess Halim, and an 
occasional remark was translated to the old lady. 
Then one of the Syrian women stood up, and danced 
before us ; that is to say, she waved her arms about 
and shook her shoulders a little, and made a sound 
like castanets with her fingers. 

Sunday, 2gth. — It was a lovely day, so in the after- 
noon fifteen of us went a walk to Stamboul. We 
went up to the Hippodrome, and looked at the 
Brazen Serpent, and visited the Museum, where the 
dresses of the ancient Janissaries are. It sounds 
grand, but anything more tumbledown than the 
series of wooden figures with their old clothes hanging 
on them, I never saw. On our way back we called 
upon " Hadji Baba," the owner of a sweet-shop, and 
tasted many things, and watched a yellow jelly 
converted, by pulling and beating, into a lovely shiny 
white bonbon. 

Two men of war are in, the Cockatrice (Captain 
Grenfell) and the Falcon (Captain Selby). These two 
captains are going on a shooting expedition. 

February 4th, — ^We went to look on at a Jewish 
Ball of which I am Patroness. We sat in a box and 
I was given a gigantic bouquet. " God save the 
Queen " was sung when we arrived, and a copy of 
Magna Charta was hung up in the box! 

Monday, 6th. — ^There was the ball at the Persian 
Embassy, at which I was to do the honours, the 
mistress of the house being immured in her harem. 
So I went early, unaccompanied (alas 1), by D., who 
had a bad headache. 

I went at half-past nine, and I stood at the door 
till a quarter to eleven, shaking hands with every- 
13 



i84 A FATAL ACCIDENT [CH. iv 

body. The ball was a curious one in some ways. 
There were crowds of Persians in their black fezes, of 
Turks in their red ones, and of Turcomans in dressing- 
gowns and white turbans. All these looked on at 
the dancing Christians. There was a linen drugget 
on the floor, which emitted a good deal of dust from 
the soap with which it had been rubbed, so that there 
was a depressing fog in the room. The buffet and 
the supper were very well done, but the people did 
behave so badly at the latter, it quite vexed me to 
see the way they called for things, and tore at them 
under their host's very nose. He had provided a 
quantity of presents for the cotillon, but half of them 
had been stolen by the time it began, and a great 
many people who ought to have come to the ball 
stayed away. They had this excuse, that he lives 
a long way off, and that the roads were very slippery. 
I am in hopes, however, that he will have thought the 
ball a success. He has written to thank me for my 
share of the labour, and has sent me two handsome 
Persian cushions — baksheesh I 

Tuesday, 14th. — Just as the last of my visitors was 
going this afternoon, D. came in and told me of the 
horrible accident to Captain Selby of the Falcon. 
He and Captain Grenfell had gone on a shooting 
expedition. The trouble began through a misunder- 
standing. 

It was the " breeding season," and at that time the 
shepherds object to any intruders on their premises, 
and train their fierce dogs to keep them off. The two 
captains could neither speak to the shepherds nor 
understand what they said, and they thought that 
these men were setting their dogs at them. 

Captain Selby put down his gun so that he might 
not be tempted to fire, and though Captain Grenfell 
put his to the man's head to frighten him, he did not 
let it off. 



A 



i882] DEATH OF CAPTAIN SELBY 185 

While he was grappling with a second man who 
came up, the first one hit Captain Selby over the 
head with some weapon, and, although he was 
actually able to walk after it, there seems to be little 
hope of his recovery. The men bound him and all the 
rest of the party, and it was only when the Consul 
came up and explained who they were that they were 
released. 

The dragoman went off to the Sultan's Palace to 
inform his Majesty, but though it was only eight 
o'clock, the Sultan had gone to bed, and no one dared 
to wake him, so the story was written out and left 
by his bedside. The Vizier, however, sent word to 
arrest all the villagers. 

The Sultan sent his secretary at night to express 
his regret at Captain Selby's accident, and also to 
remark that people who do not understand the lan- 
guage should not go out alone, which is quite true. 
If he and the men had understood each other there 
would have been no trouble. 

Another sad event has been the very sudden death 
of Mme Bartholeyns, the wife of the Belgian Minister. 
Her husband is away, and I have begged her two 
daughters to come here till his return. We have put 
off our ball, which was to have been to-morrow, and 
the Germans have postponed theirs. 

In the afternoon we went a long walk on the rocks, 
between the old wall and the new. The views were 
lovely. 

Tuesday, 21st. — ^We are in the midst of the saddest 
things now. Captain Selby died last night, and his 
wife comes to us on Thursday, a terrible thing for 
her to arrive amongst strangers in her great sorrow. 

Thursday, 22,rd. — Mrs. Selby was to have arrived 
to-day, an hour or two before her husband's funeral, 
but a telegram has come to say that she could not 
cross the Danube, so can not arrive till Sunday. 



i86 ARRIVAL OF MRS. SELBY [ch. iv 

She is at some wretched hotel by the way, and there 
she has learnt her misfortune. We have telegraphed 
to say all is ready here for her, but she may perhaps 
return straight to England unless she comes on to 
see the grave and to talk to Captain Grenfell, who can 
tell her all the details of this sad event. 

D . went with all the Embassy to the funeral at one 
o'clock, and they did not get back till seven. The 
Sultan sent representatives, as did the other Embassies, 
and D. was the chief mourner. It was a very long 
and very cold afternoon for them all. 

D. had to go and dine at the Persian Embassy to 
meet the German Mission ; these official things wait 
for nothing, and it has been very unfortunate that 
these people should have been here this week. We 
had already put off our entertainment to them twice, 
and now have to have it the very day Mrs. Selby 
arrives. It is most disagreeable; but, of course, she 
won't know anything about it, and it can't be helped. 

We heard by telegram of the death of our great 
friend, Count Schouvaloff, in Petrograd. 

Saturday, 2$th. — Now I must turn to brighter 
things. Mr. Nicolson and my sister are engaged to 
be married, and I am very happy about it. 

Sunday, 26th. — ^There is a great mixture of joy and 
sorrow in this house to-day ; the radiant young 
couple, and the arrival of Mrs. Selby and Captain 
Selby's sister. Up to the last ten days we seemed 
to have nothing but brightness and pleasure here, 
but since then there has been much sorrow. I was 
with Mrs. Selby for some time after her arrival, and 
then I took my young people a lovely walk to the 
old walls. We crossed the Golden Horn in boats, 
and visited an old mosque which has beautiful mosaics 
in it. '^1 

I like Mrs. and Miss Selby so much; they do not 
shut themselves up in their grief, and so one can be _ 

1 



I 



i882] A BALL 187 

some comfort to them ; they Uke to see those who 
knew Captain Selby, and take interest in everything 
that is going on here. They have been to the 
Falcon to see his ship and to get his things. A sad 
day for her. They leave us early in March. 

It has been decided that Katie is to be married here, 
and that ten girls are to be bridesmaids. They are of 
every nationality. No one will, Lam sure, ever have 
had such a polyglot international wedding before. 
i| Thursday y March i6th (Mi-careme). — The dance that 
I we had put off, took place to-day, so in the morning 
I we made all the final arrangements for it. Our ball- 
;' room looked lovely, with the stage at one end . The 
footlights were converted into a bank of flowers. 
The musicians were on the stage, twelve instruments. 
The fireplace was filled with flowers, and the chimney- 
piece covered with them. Supper was laid for a 
hundred and sixty-seven on small round tables in 
the dining-room and billiard-room, and we had 
refreshments elsewhere. 

There is one enormous chandelier in the ball-room, 
and we had rows of candles over the doors and 
windows. The furniture is yellow, and the stage 
curtain (looped up) is blue, with a yellow fringe. The 
floor was very good, and we began dancing soon after 
ten, and danced twelve dances before supper. 

After supper we had a cotillion, and it was pro- 
nounced a great success. They generally have long, 
complicated figures here, and long pauses, and we had 
only those that go easily and are lively, and we never 
kept one on too long. 

We had heaps of congratulations to-day about K.'s 
engagement, and the first wedding present arrived. 
Quotation from a letter just received : 

" Your ball was an enormous success. It is not a 
compliment to say it was the prettiest one ever seen 



i88 THE SACRED MOSQUE [ch. iv 

in Pera, but it was one of the prettiest ever seen 
anywhere, I am sure. ... I heard lots of people who 
have hitherto disliked cotillion say, that, for once, 
they had thoroughly enjoyed one." 

Sunday, igth. — ^We went to see the Memorial Church 
— a memorial to the soldiers killed in the Crimea. 

It is a very pretty church, and I felt as if I had not 
been in a real one for months, our Embassy chapel 
being more like a room than a church. 

In the afternoon we went a walk behind the walls 
on the shore, but so much rubbish has been thrown 
over the walls that it was disagreeable. 

Sunday, 26th. — ^We had the American Minister * and 
his wife to dine, and some other people. They were 
so late that we had to go in without them, and she 
told me afterwards that she was in a " cold sweat," 
and certainly she looked as pale as a ghost when she 
did arrive. She uses such funny expressions. Talk- 
ing of the dust here, she said, " I am sure I have 
swallowed enough to make a new Adam." 

Wednesday , 2gth. — We went to Therapia in the 
Antelope. Our steering chain snapped on the way. 
This \yas soon remedied, and happily in the interval 
we did not drift into anything. Arrived at Therapia, 
our own buoy got into our paddle-wheel, but we had 
luncheon while it was being extricated, and then 
landed. Unfortunately, instead of its being a lovely 
summer day like yesterday, it was extremely cold, 
and our " Summer Palace " did not look inviting 
even for a honeymoon, which it is soon to be used for. 

Sunday, i6th. — ^We started in carriages and then 
got into caiques and rowed down the Golden Horn, 
Constantinople looking too lovely 1 We landed at 
Eyoub, and actually made our way into the Court of 
the Sacred Mosque ; we should not have gone there, 



* Mr. Lew Wallace, author of Ben-Hur. 



I 



4 



i882] A FORTUNE TELLER i8g 

but we were innocent of the fact, and before we were 
signalled off that Holy Ground, had time to admire 
that most curious place, with its walls covered with 
fantastic, curious tiles, and the two beautiful trees 
growing in its centre. Then we walked up the hill 
through a Turkish cemetery, untidy as they always 
are, but with much brilHant colour on the tomb- 
stones, till we arrived at the cottage of a fortune- 
teller I 

We were admitted, and passed into a yard, where 
the lady — a woman with a nice face and lovely eyes, 
seated herself by a well, and made the person whose 
fate was to be read in its waters sit opposite her. 

" What is your name ? " said she. " Katherine." 
" Katina," said the woman, and then she waved her 
hand about, described a circle over the well, bent her 
head in her hands, and began an incantation, in 
which the names of " Allah " and of " Katina " 
were mixed. 

At last she spoke, and, as K.'s was considered a 
test case, we listened with anxiety. She told her 
she was engaged, which was a great success, but 
the details which followed about a bearded man 
coming over the sea were less satisfactory. I regret 
to tell you, also, that in seven days, seven weeks, or 
seven ^''ears, a man with a hat on is coming (also 
over the sea), to disturb my peace or D.'s. I have 
also had an illness, which may recur, and I am advised 
to get a Mollah, (a green turbaned Turk) to come 
and read over me when it returns. 

On the whole we found the lady had little imagina- 
tion, and was a poor witch. 

Walking down-hill, the view of Constantinople, 
the Golden Horn, and the snow-capped Olympus, 
was lovely, and we passed through most picturesque 
places, and saw some lovely bright feridges with 
Turkish ladies in them ; and, as we passed, Victoria 



igo A WEDDING [ch. iv 

confided to me this profound observation, " I see 
that all the pretty Turkish ladies have very thin 
yashmaks, and all the ugly ones have them thick." 

We were a party of eighteen children, governesses, 
and Embassy, and we sat on the edge of the water, 
and drank coffee and ate oranges. 

Thursday, April 20th. — My sister was married to- 
day. A crimson carpet was laid across the garden to 
the church. In front of the wedding party walked a 
splendid porter in uniform, cocked hat, and mace, 
then four cavasses in scarlet, after them the ten " inter- 
national " bridesmaids, followed by D. and the bride. 

My brother Fred had come to us for the wedding, 
and he and I got into our places as soon as we had 
seen the procession pass. On our return we found 
Munir Pasha waiting with a gift the Sultan had sent 
Katie. We had a band in the house and another in 
the garden, and a buffet with a big cake in the large 
Central Hall. After this had been cut in the orthodox 
way, the bride and bridegroom drove off to Therapia, 
and we had a dance for the bridesmaids in the evening. 

Saturday, 22nd. — We went in the launch up to the 
Seven Towers, passing all along the walls, and 
having lovely views of the picturesque Towers, and 
of the town behind them. 

We had sent on lunch, and all our riding-horses, 
so we first found a nice warm spot in a tea garden, 
where a fine but rickety table was put up and where 
we ate, and enjoyed ourselves for some time. Then 
an Armenian school for orphan boys turned out and 
sang songs, astonishing us by performing an English 
one, in which the " Chimpanzee and the Kangaroo " 
figured, and ending up by a beautifully pronounced, 
loyal one about our Queen. To reward them, we 
picked up the fragments of our feast, and by dint 
of ingenuity, our five apples, four oranges, a small 
cake, and a bit of wedding-cake was made to go some 



i882] THE HOWLING DERVISHES 191 

way round them. Then we rode home by the walls ; 
splendid ruins they are, but in another week they 
will be prettier, as the green which covers them is 
scarcely out yet. It was a charming ride ; nearly all 
the Embassy came with us, and we got home just in 
time for our cup of five-o'clock tea. 

Thursday, 2'jth. — ^We determined to make a great 
effort to show my brother some sights, so we lunched 
early, and then started off in the launch, accom- 
panied by most of the Embassy, to see the Howling 
Dervishes. 

As usual, we were told, on arriving at their haunts, 
that we had an hour to wait, so we strolled up to 
a Turkish cafe, sat in an arbour and drank coffee. 
Fred, Mr. Hardinge, and Mr. Clarke tried to smoke 
narghiles, and said they felt very giddy after it. 

Then an old gentleman, who was enjoying his, 
tucked up on a bench, produced from his breast a 
book, and told us he was a fortune-teller ; so, with 
some difficulty, " Hariot " was written out in Turkish, 
and under it " Katrina," for my mother's name, 
and the old gentleman did some complicated sum over 
these names, and found my star, and told me I was 
married to a gentleman with dark hair, with a little 
white about it, that my father was dead, and that, 
forty years from the time of his death, I should get a 
great fortune. 

The Dervishes were in great force. There were a 
number of them, and a great many people praying 
in the centre of the place. They got very hot and 
excited, and made horrible noises, and appeared 
almost at death's door, until the chant changed, and 
they calmed down at once, and were quite well again. 

At the end, the Chief Dervish, whom I may call 
the High-priest, blessed some garments which were 
sent to him for the purpose, and tied a knot in the 
sleeve of each to show he had done it ; and then he 



192 SCUTARI [CH. IV 

proceeded to cure the sick — men, children, and babies — 
by walking on them. There was a stiff-legged soldier 
who got down with difficulty to be trodden on, and 
who arose apparently as stiff as ever. Then a little 
avenue of boys and girls was formed, they lay flat in 
a row, and the holy man walked up and down this 
human path twice, and then the smallest babies were 
flattened out and trodden upon, and all the time 
the row of very hot Dervishes went on groaning and 
throwing themselves about. 

The service lasted fully an hour and a half, and 
it was five before we got to the launch again, and 
went on to the cemetery at Scutari — such a lovely 
one it is ! Some of the graves are beautifully kept — 
pretty shrubs and flowers everywhere. 

The Crimean graves look the least well, because 
they are simply green mounds, with one monument 
for the whole of them, and the other two graves, 
which we were specially interested in seeing, though 
the newest, looked in reality the least cared for, as 
the grass had not yet grown over them, and they have 
no headstones, — I mean Captain Selby's and Madame 
Bartholeyn's. 

Friday, zsth. — ^We had a delightful picnic to-day, 
given by the Persian Ambassador. He came for 
us at ten in the morning, himself got up in a velvet 
jacket, with a waist (he is enormous), knickerbockers, 
and boots. Mrs. Hobart told him he looked like a 
brigand, all but the hat and feathers. 

The party consisted of twenty-four persons on 
horseback, quite a cavalcade, a launch full of chil- 
dren, and some carriage loads of ladies. The day 
was lovely, and we had a beautiful ride of about 
twelve miles to the Ambassador's country place. 
There we had an excellent lunch, one dish being a 
lamb roasted whole and stuffed with currants, rice, 
nuts, etc. Then we wandered about the garden 



i882] ATHENS 193 

and went up to a kiosk on the hill, where we had tea. 
The room was an odd-shaped one, and there were two 
curious things in it, one an echo, and the other a 
sort of whispering-gallery effect. 

Sometimes you thought you heard people who 
were the other side of the room, speaking close to your 
ear, and from certain parts of the room you could 
hear every word that was said at the other side of it, 
while you could catch nothing your nearer neigh- 
bours were talking of. 

We rode home by the " Sweet Waters," and 
reached the Embassy at seven, all the twenty-four 
horses having behaved with great propriety, and no 
accidents having happened to any one. We all 
enjoyed the day extremely. 

Wednesday, May ■^rd. — I was busy all the morning 
making arrangements for our trip to Athens. 

On our way to our own ship, the Arva, we called 
at the Wolvertons' yacht ; they have just arrived, 
and have two very pretty ladies on board. 

Our ship is very large, having been on the China 
station. The captain is a most amusing Frenchman, 
and, having Fred and Mr. Bland with us, we enjoy 
our voyage much. 

Friday, $th. — ^Was woke by hearing Fred's voice. 
The ship had stopped, and we were in the Piraeus, and 
Fred was energetically starting at five in the morning 
to go up and see the Acropolis. Mr. Bland went with 
him, and D. and I remained on board till their 
return, when they left for home. 

It is the king's birthday, and a fete-day here, so 
after a little breakfast, with honey from Hymettus, 
at it, D. and I walked across the square which is in 
front of the hotel and watched the royal procession 
going to the church. 

Then we wrote our names down at the Palace, a 
large, ugly building at one side of the square, facing 



194 ATHENS [ch. iv 

the Acropolis. Behind, it has a lovely garden, 
going off into the hills, and this is what makes the 
view from our little balcony here so pretty, the wild 
hills mixed up with the town, and the picturesque 
ruins of the Acropolis behind the modern houses. We 
went to the Legation at two, and looked at Mr. Ford's * 
house and his drawings, collections of china, etc., 
and were introduced to his son, " Johnny." 

Mr. Ford, Mr. Greville, D. and I and " Johnny," 
went up to the Acropolis, and, as Mr. Ford knows all 
about it, he was the best guide we could possibly 
have had. 

We only got back late, the day had been warm, 
and we had walked a great deal, so I felt very little 
inclined to dress for a ball at the Palace. However, 
it had to be done, and we entered the Diplomatic- 
pen at nine o clock. How grateful I felt to have no 
Court at Constantinople, when I found myself in my 
exact right place, standing waiting for the King and 
Queen, and, as time went on, changing from one foot 
to another in hopes of finding a little rest that way. 

Well, we stood and stood, and at last the King and 
Queen came in, followed by an old friend in the shape 
of a tall young Russian Grand Duke, and they went 
slowly, slowly down one side of us, and slowly, 
slowly up the other. 

The Queen is very nice-looking, is very simple and 
charming, and every one likes her. She wore pink 
tulle over satin, dotted about with violets. The King, 
who is the brother of our Princess, is most civil and 
kind. 

D. and I danced a quadrille with the King and 
Queen. The rooms are very fine, but the heat was 
tremendous, and I confess that by four in the morn- 
ing I was completely done up. There were four 
quadrilles, and three waltzes. Then supper (for us 
1 Afterwards Ambassador at Rome. 



i882] ELEUSIS 195 

in a private room with the Royalties, and what a 
mercy to sit down !), and then a cotiUion. I was too 
tired to think of dancing anything but the quadrilles, 
and only waited to see the cotillion begin. I was 
curious to see the ball, and am glad to have been at it. 

Saturday, 6th. — Got up late, and stayed very 
quietly at home till five, when I went a round of visits 
— knocked off all my new acquaintances with cards, 
and then dressed for a dinner at our Legation, where 
Mr. Ford asked me to do the honours. I sat between 
the Prime Minister M. Tricoupi, and the Speaker of 
the House. 

Sunday, yth. — ^We had a delightful day in the 
country. Mr. Ford came to fetch us at nine, and we 
drove with him and Mr. Greville to Eleusis, looking 
at a pretty old church on the way. The scenery was 
beautiful, and the weather perfect. When we reached 
the place we walked about, and saw the ruins that 
remain of the Temple to Ceres, and then we lunched 
out of doors, and were just going to drive back when 
we heard the peasants were going to dance ; so I 
sat down in a little sort of chapel, which the man said 
had something to do with the Prophet Zechariah, and 
read letters from home which came just as I was going 
out. 

Then we went about a little among the peasant 
women. They were so polite, getting me a chair, 
picking me flowers, and giving me raw beans to eat. 

Their costume is most picturesque, and the smart 
ones were lovely. They wore plain white skirts 
touching the ground, rather long sleeveless jackets, 
made of a white woollen material, and trimmed in a 
particular pattern, with very wide black worsted 
braid ; they were quite open in front, and coloured 
waistcoats and coloured sleeves were worn with 
them ; sometimes the whole underdress was white, 
and there was a great breast-plate of coins and neck- 



196 DANCING AT ELEUSIS [ch. iv 

laces, and long chains fastened to the jacket, and 
enormous buckles at the waist. They all had yellow 
handkerchiefs tied round their heads. Many of their 
faces were pretty. They had beautiful eyes, and 
often very charming expressions. They were long 
collecting, and there seemed to be great doubt as to 
where the ball-room should be, but at last they fixed 
upon the old temple, and we followed them there. 

The old stones and broken marble columns were 
covered with spectators — old women, and funny little 
children — ^while about twenty of the girls danced at a 
time. They took hands across each other — that is, they 
gave the right hand to their left-hand neighbour, and 
the left to the right, which made a very close chain — 
and then, singing a slow and melancholy wail, they 
stepped backwards and forwards and round. 

We were fortunate in seeing this curious sight, and 
the ruins looked all the more picturesque for the 
costumed group that filled them. 

But what an uncivilised ball — no music, and no men 1 

The men we had seen before looked very smart too 
— ^with long black gaiters, short white petticoats, 
sleeveless short jackets and red caps. One had 
approached us at lunch, and, though himself a little 
the worse for wine, he offered us some, with a most 
courtly grace. It was the wine of the country, and 
nastier than any medicine, but I did the civil thing 
and drank it down. 

Monday, Sth. — ^We were ready at seven in the 
morning, when Johnny Ford and Mr. Greville came 
to fetch us, and we started in a carriage for Mount 
Pentelicus. The flowers in the hedges, and especially 
the poppies, are beautiful now, and the fresh morning 
air was very pleasant. We passed through the birth- 
place of Pericles, '^nd arrived in two hours at a 
monastery, where we left the carriage, and took to 
mules. On them we rode another two hours, up, up. 



i 



J 



i882] MOUNT PENTELICUS 197 

up the mountain. Half-way we got off to look into 
a chilly cave, and to admire enormous cliffs of marble 
— and all the way, we kept occasionally looking back 
upon the splendid view beneath us. 

The hill is 3,400 feet high, and when we reached 
the top we could see the country in every direction, 
and on a clear day could, I believe, have seen the 
whole of Greece. Directly under us lay the plains of 
Marathon. The bay is very small, and so regular 
in shape that one can scarcely believe its banks are 
not artificial. The sea was beautifully blue, and the 
islands and mountains rising out of it made quite 
an ideal landscape. We sat and looked for some time, 
and then began our descent. I sat sideways on a 
country saddle with no pommels or other conveniences, 
and I found that, at some of the steep places, I must 
abandon my parasol, and hold on with both hands to 
the saddle. 

The mules were wonderfully sure-footed, and walked 
safely down the most fearfully dangerous-looking 
ground ; they were comfortable enough as long as 
they walked, but when they trotted, or when they 
hopped down some step with both fore-legs together, 
they shook their rider a little. 

Mr. Ford met us at the monastery, and we had 
lunch under the trees, and then drove home. 

I had an hour to recover from the exertions of the 
day before dressing to dine at the Palace. 

It was a small party — ^with the household making 
sixteen. I sat by the King, and found him extremely 
nice and pleasant. He talked all the time — just like 
any other man I I saw his likeness to our Princess, 
but he screws up his eyes and fails in that feature. 

D. sat by the Queen. After dinner we all went into 
a room and stood for the rest of the evening, the King, 
Queen, and Grand Duke speaking to every one in 
turn. Both going in and coming out we walked alone, 



198 SIGHT SEEING [ch. iv 

the Queen, then myself, and the other ladies, and 
then the King and the gentlemen. 

The roses here are in profusion and lovely, some 
of the biggest I have ever seen. I wore some in my 
dress, and they were much admired ; I believe they 
never thought of wearing real flowers before. 

Tuesday, gth. — I stayed at home to write letters in 
the morning, while D. visited some museums. In the 
afternoon we went by train to Phalerum, a bathing- 
place near Athens, and in the evening we dined with 
the Russian Minister. He is a nice old man, who came 
to Quebec while we were there, and who seems to 
have a lively remembrance of Gwen, who laughed at 
his English. 

I took a little walk in the King's garden. He opens 
it to the public every afternoon. It is a lovely garden, 
and is the sweetest-smelling one I ever walked through. 
There are roses climbing up the trees, and masses of 
all sorts of flowers. 

The Queen lost a child last year, and her little bed 
remains in its place in the nursery, with wreaths laid 
upon it. Blackwell was much struck with the extreme 
simplicity of the rooms. 

Wednesday, loth. — We did a round of sight-seeing 
with Mr. Ford in the afternoon. The Temple of 
Theseus, the Pnyx, the Stadium, the Temple of the 
Winds, and, to wind up with, the " House of Com- 
mons." The members were sitting, so we looked 
and listened for a few moments. The Speaker faces 
the seats, which are arranged in a semicircle, the 
Government and Opposition being divided by a 
narrow path up the middle. The orator has a little 
pulpit in front of the Speaker, There are large 
boxes all round the House, and they were crowded 
with people, soldiers, children, etc. 

The day was not hot, and there was a pleasant 
breeze, so we saw everything very comfortably. 



i882] INVITATION TO THE PALACE 199 

I don't attempt to describe the sights to you — ^it 
would be an endless task, and you would find it very 
dull reading. 

Thursday, nth. — I called upon Madame Schlie- 
mann, whose husband is away digging at Troy. She 
lives in a marble palace, and is an interesting woman, 
fine eyes, and pleasant manner. 

She speaks English very well, but one bit of our 
conversation amused me afterwards when I found 
out what she meant to say. 

She knew I had been to Eieusis, and said," Did you 
go by the Secret Way? " I looked a little blank, and 
then said, "We went by the high road." "Yes," 
said she, ** that is the Secret Way." 

I found she meant Sacred. 

There were private theatricals at the Palace in the 
evening. First a Greek piece, then a little French 
piece, very well done, called L'Etre de St. Martin, 
and then, Le Serment d'Horace, in which there was 
a smiling, namby-pamby lady, whom I could have 
shaken. 

Our Princes arrived in the morning, but Prince 
George ^ had a feverish attack, and could not come 
ashore. 

The King was very nice to me, gave me supper, 
and talked a great deal. I said good-bye to both 
King and Queen, thanking them for their kindness 
to us ; but I see they can't part with us, for — 

Friday, 12th — this morning the Grand Marechal 
has come to ask us to dine with the King and Queen 
quite quietly, " without dressing." 

In the meantime D. and I went to see the Academy, 
which is a lovely new building, but which unfortu- 
nately is rather crushed by its surroundings ; such a 
beautiful thing should have stood alone. It is white 
marble, with a great deal of gilding and carving out- 

* King George V. 
14 



20O DINNER AT THE PALACE [ch. IV 

side, and the effect of the big room inside, which is 
not quite finished, will be splendid. There are very 
large frescoes on the walls, and the marble pillars, 
and the general colour of the room is a very brilliant 
red (painted), with the carved part of the marble 
standing out in white upon the red ground. 

We went on to Schliemann's Museum, and saw 
things he has found. There is a model of a tomb just 
as he saw it, with the skeleton warrior lying there, 
his rusty sword by his side, and gold trinkets, little 
cups, etc. at his head. 

Our dinner at the Palace was delightful. There 
was not even a maid of honour present. The King 
met us at the door of his apartments, and took us 
in to the Queen, who looked lovely in a square black 
dress and diamond and ruby ornaments. Then all 
the five children came in, and we went into the next 
room without taking arms. It was a small room, 
and, as there were only two ladies, I sat opposite 
the Queen, between the King and Prince Albert 
Victor, — while she had D. and her brother the 
Grand Duke Constantine, on either side of her, the 
two boys, her sons, at the ends of the table, and the 
youngest boy and two girls sitting in the room, and 
much taken up with their cousin (Prince Albert 
Victor), behind whose chair they often came and 
stood to ask him questions. The Queen says he is 
so good to the children, and has the smallest on his 
knee all day. Her boys are very big, and the eldest* is 
said to be very clever. We had a very merry dinner, 
and the servants only appeared when they were rung 
for. Two dogs, one a very big one, stayed in the room. 
After dinner, we went next door and sat down for 
quite a long talk ; then the Queen asked me if I 
would like to see the next room, and when I had 
looked at all the things there we said good-bye and 

^ Present King of Greece. 



i882] RETURN TO CONSTANTINOPLE 201 

left. I can't say how nice they were, nor how 
charming and pretty the Queen is. D. and I went on 
to Mr. Ford's, who had asked some people to meet 
us at dinner. He and Mr. Greville have been most 
kind to us here. 

Saturday, iT^th. — We had to be down at our ship 
by seven, and, as it is an hour's drive to the Pirseus, 
we were up early. Mr. Greville appeared at six, 
and went with us, and when we got down there after 
making this great effort we found that, owing to 
the bad weather, the steamer had only just arrived, 
and would not start for three hours ! 

So D. went off to the Bacchante, and saw Prince 
George.* He is better, and will be allowed to go 
ashore. D. also called on the French Admiral, who, 
to his surprise, saluted him, and afterwards came 
and called on me. 

We did not expect to find the Italian steamer as 
comfortable as the French, but in reality we had 
much better accommodation and very good food. 
This first day I did not require much ! 

RETURN TO CONSTANTINOPLE 

Sunday, 14th. — ^We had a lovely warm day on 
board, and should have landed at midnight, but 
unfortunately our launch, which was on the look-out, 
missed us, and did not discover us till 4 a.m. How- 
ever, we got to Therapia at five, and, by going to 
bed for a few hours, managed to feel as if we had 
arrived at night. 

Monday, i^th. — In the afternoon we sat in the 
garden. Mr. and Mrs. Goschen, Mrs. Wyndham 
with Miss Kennedy, Mr. Oliphant (who is busy 
trying to send the Jews back to Jerusalem), Lord 
and Lady Wolverton, and Madame Marinitch, Prince 

^ King George V. 



L. 



202 A TURKISH WEDDING [ch. iv 

Victor Bariatinski, and Captain Grenfell all came. ^ 
The children were playing about with eleven kittens i| 
(which were perpetually on the point of being trodden 
on), two sheep, and three dogs. I am devoutly in 
hopes that some mysterious Providence will interfere 
with the kittens. 

It was delightful under the trees. Lord Wolverton, 
his niece, Miss Greathed, and Admiral Wellesley 
dined with us, and to meet them we had the Wynd- 
hams, Miss Kennedy, Sir Richard Temple (of Indian 
celebrity), and Mr. Sartoris. 

Tuesday, i6th. — A very busy morning for me, and 
a very bad day for the Chancery, and the Ambassador 
— a telegram that took seven hours and a half to 
decipher, and a perpetual rushing to and fro of 
Ambassadors and Charges d 'Affaires. 

The Ohphants, Goschens, Mr. Wallace, and Mr. 
Hardinge dined with us. Mrs. Oliphant was very 
interesting, telling us how she earned her own living 
for three years in America, first by needlework and 
then by teaching. 

Thursday, 2$th. — I have to tell you about a Turkish 
wedding I have been to. I took all the children, 
and Miss S., Mrs. Wyndham, and her children, Mrs. 
Goschen and two female interpreters. We drove in 
three carriages, starting at nine o'clock, and reached 
our destination far away in Stamboul, at the ap- 
pointed hour, ten. We soon found, however, that 
a couple of hours later than that for which you 
are invited, is about the time one is expected to 
arrive, but on the whole we were not sorry to be so 
early, as we saw the people comfortably before the 
crush. 

We drove into a covered way, on each side of 
which there was a door leading into the house. Half- 
way upstairs we were met by the hideous black men 
who regulate the affairs of a harem. At the top of 



i882] A TURKISH WEDDING 203 

the staircase there were numbers of women clad in 
many-coloured, shapeless garments. The first one 
attempted to sprinkle me with scent, which gave me 
a fearful shock (on account of my best gown) ; but 
happily the shower did not reach me, and I escaped 
without a spot. 

We were ushered into a small sitting-room ; all 
the rooms in the house were very small, and all had 
divans round the walls, and little other furniture. 
There we sat, and brilliant yellow or purple females 
handed us, first cigarettes, then jam, of which we ate 
a spoonful in the orthodox way, taking a sip of water 
after it, then a cup of coffee. 

While we were enjoying ourselves thus, and 
wondering whether this sort of thing would go on 
for ever, we were well amused by looking at the 
figures round us. One old woman (and an old 
Turkish woman is an unlovely object) came and 
looked at us, and said we were all charming — she 
did not know which of us was the most so — ^while 
we wondered whether she was a relation or a servant 
of the family. She wore a skirt and jacket of some 
hard woollen stuff in very large stripes of yellow and 
magenta, which (after the manner of her kind), she 
lifted well off the ground as she trotted about, showing 
much white cotton stocking. Her hair (another 
fashion amongst the old ladies) was cut short, reach- 
ing straight to the ears, and was dyed red, while a 
mysterious tight little plait coming from you can't 
tell where was brought up from the back, and was 
fastened to a bit of stuff tied round the head, a very 
ghost of a turban. Her eyes were very red, and 
altogether she was very unlike a guest at a grand 
wedding ! 

The woman who brought in the coffee was a stout 
female, in lilac (also of a bed-gown pattern as to 
fit) ; she stood well back upon her legs, her tray 



204 A TURKISH WEDDING [ch. iv 

resting against her capacious form, a grand em- 
broidered velvet and gold cloth over her shoulder, 
her hair short, with a wisp round her head too. There 
were also many women running about covered up in 
sheets, but I never made out why they were so 
attired or what they were doing. 

We had been looking about us for some time, when 
it was suggested that we should go and see some of 
the preparations that were being made, — so we passed 
through the central room at the top of the stairs, 
where guests were assembling, and saw many curious 
specimens of womenkind. Any one who is invited 
to a Turkish wedding brings her whole establishment 
with her, so the guests are not all ladies, and amongst 
the elderly it is very difficult indeed to guess which 
are servants and which are mistresses. 

Besides these invited guests, the house is open to 
all who choose to enter, and even the streets are full 
of veiled forms, who at some time during the day 
will come and have a look at the bride. 

When we made our move we were first shown the 
room where the bride would sit to be looked at, and 
a large throne prepared for her ; and then we were 
taken -to the " Nuptial Chamber." You will excuse 
my describing it to you, for it was very amusing! 
The room was small, and in it there was — a washing- 
stand, devoid of jugs and basins, but with two bed- 
room candlesticks and a few cosmetics on it, and 
in front of it, festooned on to a horse, two gold and 
silver embroidered towels. Next came the bed — a 
squat four-poster, covered in at the top, and curtained 
with lovely cream-coloured satin, dotted all over 
with beads — really very beautiful. There were two 
counterpanes in rich stuffs and grand embroideries, 
the pillows were all embroidered in gold (comfort- 
able !), and there were muslin embroidered covers 
thrown over them as well, while more cushions of 



i882] A TURKISH WEDDING 205 

various degrees of splendour were disposed along 
the wall side of the bed. 

There was just room to pass between this couch, 
and a chest of drawers, on which were laid out the 
bride's " robe de nuit " (I give you the word as told 
me, in case of any mistake). It was clear book 
muslin, beautifully embroidered in white silk. 

Then there was the bridegroom's- dressing-gown — 
pale blue plush and silver — and then a little parcel of 
his clothes, presented by the bride ; these he wears 
the day after his marriage. There were his little 
shirt, and his little tie, his waistc6at, studs, cigarette 
case, pocket-handkerchiefs, and other under-gar- 
ments — she does not seem to provide him with 
cloth clothes. Then came a dress-stand, with the 
bride's dress for the next day set out upon it, a mauve 
silk. 

Having seen these sights, we wandered back again 
through more little rooms, and made acquaintance 
with a very pleasing young Turkish lady, dressed in 
a white silk, with immense train, and beautiful gold 
spangled trimming ; with another of a handsome 
barmaid type, golden hair, much rouge, a pink-and- 
gold embroidered gown, a fine set of emeralds and 
diamonds, and one enormous diamond worn outside 
her glove. They could not speak to us, but we said 
a little through an interpreter, and we looked at 
their jewels, and admired their gowns — and the pink 
one said she had much sympathy for me, and regretted 
we could not converse, and she sat by me a good 
deal, and we nodded and smiled occasionally. 

I also made friends with a clever-looking old lady, 
who had seen me at Princess Zeineb's ; she wore a 
quilted jacket, but had not cut her hair short, and 
looked better in consequence. 

Then, for a change, we were taken upstairs, and we 
saw the lady who did the honours. She is aunt of 



2g6 a TURKISH WEDDING [ch. iv 

the bride, and, the mother being delicate, she under- 
took this very hard work. She was a most interesting- 
looking woman, and would anywhere have looked 
distinguished. Her hair was a good golden (not the 
fearful dyed colour they use so much). Of course 
her face was painted white, but it had much character 
and expression. Her figure was good, though even 
she, when she changed her gown, and got into a Euro- 
pean dress, burst a few buttons during the enter- 
tainment. 

When upstairs, the unhappy idea seized them of 
getting a man to amuse us ! as if we hadn't plenty 
at home, and weren't much more amused with the 
women ! 

He was the husband of the " pink one," and had 
been two years in Vienna, so he spoke French well ; 
but in order to admit him (he was the uncle of the 
bride), all the ladies not related to him had to retire. 
The only interesting thing in his advent was, the 
opportunity of seeing the way he was greeted by his 
female relations, and the shyness he felt at being so 
greeted before us. They literally " kissed the hem 
of his garment," while others were not obliged to 
go lower than his hand, which he very impatiently 
pulled away. The greetings between women seem to 
vary from kissing the edge of the gown, or a slight 
inclination touching the breast and forehead at the 
same time ; this last is a very pretty salutation, and 
takes place between equals. We soon got rather 
tired of our man, and most politely suggested to 
him, " that we hoped he would not remain on our 
account," but he " felt honoured, and had nothing 
whatever to do," so this failed, and I must now con- 
fess that we all, one by one, left him and went 
downstairs, where things were becoming ** fast and 
furious." 

The halls were crowded with people, and it was 



i882] A TURKISH WEDDING 207 

most amusing to stand in the crowd and watch. 
One black woman began to sing — ^in street fashion — 
and caused some laughter, and ladies stood upon 
divans so as to see the bride when she appeared, and 
there was a good deal of noise and chatter going on. 
Some friendly person was always seizing me by the 
arm or hand, and leading me off somewhere, and now 
I was dragged into a small room, and seated there 
to await the bride. 

She soon appeared. She was not bad-looking, but 
some of the details of her costume were trying. She 
wore a very handsome, long, salmon-coloured dress, 
— on her head, two small diadems, one behind the 
other, and very long tulle veils edged with silver lace, 
and with streamers of gold tinsel hanging on each 
side bits of which she gave, after the marriage, to the 
unmarried women. Her hair was yellow, her face 
painted pale, and on her forehead, cheeks, and chin 
were gummed four enormous diamonds in gold 
frames. These quite prevented a smile, and induced 
a most passive expression. She shook hands with us 
all — and then sat down and waited. Soon there was 
a commotion outside, and we were told to come 
out and see the first part of the ceremony ; and then 
we saw the eunuchs at work — the brutes ! 

They had to make a line through the crowd, and 
the way they pushed, and knocked and banged about 
them, and the way they seized a girl I knew, and 
pushed her back, made me laugh in spite of my indig- 
nation at their want of respect to my sex. I took 
good care to keep out of their way, for they would 
have thought nothing of seizing hold of me and 
pushing me where they wished. 

When room was made the bride came out, and was 
met by her eldest male relation, (the man who had 
been " amusing " us) ; he tied a scarf round her waist 
to show that she was an unmarried girl, and then 



2o8 A TURKISH WEDDING [ch. Iv 

she went back to her room, while he (the uncle) 
was skurried away, and we went back, too, to see 
the bridegroom come in. 

They declare that the two have never seen each 
other, but I feel sure that she must have had him 
pointed out to her, and that he had seen her with a 
yashmak oh; but of course they never have spoken. 
She is fifteen, he eighteen. When he was coming 
she pulled the veil over her face. He was led into 
the room, walked up to her, and, taking her hand, 
put it on his arm, and as man and wife, walked away 
with her, to the room with the throne, we following. 
The doors were shut upon them for a second, and then 
out he came, the eunuchs hustling him out of sight 
of the other women, and bringing out whips — actually 
whips — to drive back the excited females. You can't 
imagine such a scene ! A regular, common scuffle, 
every one pushing and pulling and screaming. I kept 
one child in front of me, and expected her to be 
frightened, but she laughed and was intensely amused, 
while N. took to carrying Freddie lest he should be 
squashed. 

They were very kind in wishing us to see every- 
thing/ and one of the Blacks (eunuchs) seized Miss 
S., who happily was in front of me, and dragged her 
on to the room where the bride was " on view." I 
followed, and we were given chairs, and the whole 
room-full came and sat and looked at the victim, and 
we were shown all her relations, and women in yash- 
maks and feridjes came in from the streets and stood 
and gazed ; and then I got a hint that they were 
keeping the room rather clear for us, so we got up 
and went. I wanted then to send the children home, 
but they insisted upon our all staying to lunch, 
and we were shown into a room where we had a 
great meal. There were meat dishes, and then a 
sweet, none of them to our taste, and we starved 



i882] A TURKISH WEDDING 209 

in the midst of plenty, though we had to pretend to 
eat. 

The dishes were handed separately, and plates 
changed, but we kept our forks right through. Then 
we went upstairs, and had coffee. 

A very brilliant young lady arrived, whom we had 
met at Princess Zeineb's. She had golden hair, of 
the most unnatural colour, a long and elaborately 
trimmed blue satin gown, a tiny hat fastened on the 
back of her head, and French high-heeled shoes laced 
on ; she remembered me, and sat by me, and when 
she got up to go, kissed me ! 

Having dined there, we had to stay a little while 
afterwards, and it was more than half-past three 
before I could suggest a move. Then there was some 
difficulty in recovering my bonnet, and the parasols 
which had been ravished from us, and while waiting, 
I saw some characteristic scenes. One of the ladies 
of the house took me down and waited with me in the 
hall. There was a poor little girl sitting on a chair 
there, and this she absolutely refused to give me, 
until pushed out of it by force ; then I watched 
with interest a woman who, being already in a short 
white petticoat, kept tucking it up and up, until it 
reached her knees, and then she walked about quite 
happy. 

Suddenly there was a great commotion, and it 
was a moment before I saw what it all meant. The 
women cowered into a corner, or else put their arms 
in front of their faces, while a Black guardian gesticu- 
lated at them, and at things in general — a white 
waiter was passing ! 

Upstairs they tell me there was tremendous excite- 
ment over this, the women hiding their faces, and the 
eunuchs enjoining them so to do, the plain ones quite 
as anxious to hide themselves from the sight of man 
as the young and beautiful were. The ladies of the 



210 A HOLIDAY AT PRINKIPO [ch. iv 

house made all sorts of excuses to us for the crush 
and scrimmage, but of course that is just what amused 
us. The mother of the bride is a widow, but we 
never clearly understood who the bridegroom was, 
though I believe he is a relation of an ex-Foreign 
Minister. I asked if there were any wedding presents. 
I was told, " Yes, the guests give presents ; but they 
all go to the mother to defray the expense of the 
wedding." All the people who came in were fed. 

Tuesday, T,oth. — The mail having been despatched, 
we went in the launch to Therapia, D. and I, Mrs. 
Wyndham, the Goschens, and the three bachelors. 
It was a very nice afternoon, and we hoped D, would 
be made to wish for the country. However, it is no 
use wishing, for anything more uninhabitable than 
our house looks at present can't be imagined. There 
are workmen in every corner, no papers on any sitting- 
room, and all the chintzes still to come from London. 
Matting to be laid down everywhere, and the smell 
of paint to be got rid of. 

The roses in the garden were lovely, and my new 
balcony splendid ; the church nearly finished, and 
very nice. We had tea on the Antelope, and then 
came home. 

Wednesday, June yth. — ^A great holiday at Prinkipo, 
the Bakers having asked us all to spend the day with 
them. 

On our way we went to look at the Tilburina, Mr. 
Goschen and Mr. Hardinge's yacht. She is fifteen 
tons, and has a big cabin. 

The Bakers have a very nice house, but we all had 
rather a shock when we first arrived, for we were 
extremely hungry, and there were no signs of lunch, 
but, on the contrary, the donkeys were at the door, 
and we were asked if we could start at once. 

We began to fear that we had not been expected 
to lunch at all, but the boldest of the party said 



i882] KADEKEUI AND THERAPIA 211 

plainly that he could not move till he had something 
to eat, and then we were all given sherry and biscuit. 
This proved an unnecessary meal, however, for after 
riding a short way on our donkeys, we came upon a 
splendid lunch spread by the seaside, which we all 
thoroughly enjoyed. Mrs. Baker and the Pasha, ^ D., 
and all of us rode to the place, where we sat on the 
ground to eat, and rest. 

Then we mounted again, and rode up to the Monas- 
tery, where we stayed a short time before riding home. 
On the way back, the children had some exciting 
donkey races, and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. 

Friday, gth. — ^We spent a very pleasant afternoon 
at Kadekeui. First of all we had tea at Mrs. Baker's, 
and then went on to the tennis-ground, where the 
Embassy beat Kadekeui by six to one, ]\:r. Goschen 
and Mr. Hardinge being our victorious representatives. 

The children were made supremely happy by the 
gift of two rabbits and two guinea pigs, and in another 
basket Teddie Goschen carried off a second pair of 
rabbits. 

We were given antiquities, little lamps, pins and 
rings, dug out of the ground there — and some lovely 
roses. On the way back, the guinea-pigs got loose 
in the carriage, and there was great excitement lest 
they should be squashed, and lest they should take 
to climbing, and when we got home we had to stand 
on the seats, and search before we could venture to 
open the doors. 

Saturday, loth. — We had another afternoon at 
Therapia. The day was beautiful, and the place 
looked lovely. Our house is still full of workmen, 
but it looks so nice, and is so fresh and cool and clean- 
looking, with its greenery-yellery complexion. I 
think we shall get into it on the 2ist, though as 
my curtains and chintzes only start this week from 

' Sir Valentine Baker. 



212 TRANSLATION FROM A RUSSIAN BOOK [ch. iv 

London, it will be long before we really are properly 
established there. 

The roses covered the trees, and the garden was 
looking its very best, so that I really began to wish 
to be there. 

The church is a great success, and is nearly 
finished. When I had done my business, I went to 
call on the Bartholeyns, and found them in a nice 
little house. Their father detests Therapia, and 
never ceases abusing it. Mrs. Wyndham, who 
thinks it the most beautiful place in the world, said 
so; but he replied, " Then you can't have seen the 
Boulevard des Italiens." 

You will remember that the children came here 
straight from Petrograd. I have just been sent the 
following description of them, which amuses me very 
much : 

Translation from Mordoflisf's Book on " A Visit 
TO THE Pyrenees " — in Russian 

The author travelled with the children from Odessa to 
Constantinople in May 1881 

" We had with us on board, bound for Constan- 
tinople, the family of Lord Dufferin, formerly English 
Ambassador in Russia — three daughters and a son, 
and with them an old Bonne as nurse. 

" The daughters of the honourable diplomatist were 
still quite girls, though the eldest of them is in appear- 
ance fifteen to sixteen, and perhaps more ; she is still 
quite a child. She does not, however, romp like her 
younger sisters, nice girls like herself, but rather 
reads a book. One of the other two, a charming 
little romp, has the name of her Queen, Victoria. 
The eldest * Lady ' conducts herself with unusual 
simplicity and modesty, and she is dressed and 
coiffee also in the most simple way. In her dress 
there is not the least indication of ornament. What 
specially pleases young ladies in general, high heels 



i882] TRANSLATION OF RUSSIAN LETTER 213 

on their boots, is, in the case of this young * Miladi ' 
entirely absent, though her boots are not altogether 
slippers. Heaven forbid ! Shocking ! Her dress, 
though not a short child's dress, was without even an 
innocent inclination to an amiable falsehood, to un- 
necessary length, or the least bit of a tail. 

" Her second sister is a frightful despot in love. 
She never for a moment separated herself from her 
little dog, dragged it everywhere with a chain — and 
such a thick one that, as our captain wittily proved 
to the little lady, it was fit for a lion rather than for 
her little dog. But then I saw in that chain a trail 
of the British national character : to hold with a 
strong chain, so that it should not break everything 
that falls into their hands, whether it be India, or 
Ireland, or the pet dog of a little child. The dog 
evidently was not conscious of its frightful slavery, 
probably because it had never known what it is to 
run about without a chain at its neck. It never 
took a step without its amiable despot, and always 
looked into her eyes more lovingly even than Uncle 
Tom could look into the eyes of those he loved. 

" The young lord, of six or seven years of age, 
always showed himself a genuine Englishman ; 
loving order and cleanliness in everything. For the 
young future diplomatist — and perhaps Prime Minis- 
ter, some one of the sailors or the servants had made 
a miserable broom, and my lord never left the deck, 
or hurricane deck, constantly sweeping again and 
again the same place. He even did not play with 
the other children, but swept and swept. It is 
wonderful how that occupation did not weary him 
all the way to Constantinople. 

" The steamer arrives in the Golden Horn, and is 
at once surrounded by boats and caiques filled with 
unfortunate ' Midianites ' and ' Arabians.' " 

The author then continues : 

** At the same time, pushing aside the caiques of 
these ' Midianites,' and ' Arabians,' flew up to the 



214 TRANSLATION OF RUSSIAN LETTERS [ch. iv 

steamer an elegant steam-launch, wheezing and grace- 
fully trembling, and carrying the British flag. 

'* On it appeared in uniform a red-haired (of course) 
Englishman, with elegant gloves, and a solid, appar- 
ently good-natured Turk (Mustapha, the cavass), 
covered with braid and gold lace, and fully armed, 
evidently not of low rank, to receive with honour the 
dear guests, and these dear guests pay no attention. 
The elder * Miladi,' of course, exchanges salutations 
with the gentleman in the elegant gloves, and smiles 
in reply to the cordial salutations of the fat Turk, 
but the younger branches of the Embassy continue 
their occupations ; my lord busies himself with his 
broom, and looks in the faces of the Pharaohs and the 
Ethiopians ; the younger lady thinks only of her little 
dog, and makes him jump over his lion's chain — ^whilst 
the younger Miladi drags her dolls into the cutter. 
Their worldly greatness is still not understood by them. 

" You should have seen with what tenderness and 
veneration the fat Turk took in his greasy paw the 
little hand of the child-lord, freed from its broom, 
and decidedly feared to let go the treasure as a 
guarantee of the future and the hope of Turkey. 

" Why, that flat-nosed little lord, following in the 
footsteps of his papa, may likewise be Ambassador 
in Turkey, and perhaps physician to the so-called 
* sick man,' as Turkey has been incorrectly styled 
for the last two centuries. The steam cutter, with 
the hope of Turkey, rapidly disappeared, and I 
occupied myself with the meetings of other dear 
guests." 

Having heard this read, Freddy insisted upon 
writing a letter to Mr. Mackenzie Wallace, who had 
made the translation. I give it with its original 
spelling. 

** My dear Walis, 

" I am sorry that he thinks I did nothing but 
swep all the time on the boat. 

" That fat Turk was Mustapha; he is very nice. 



i882] BEGINNING OF A CRISIS 215 

Do you think that I have got a very flat nose ? I 
think that boys do not mind what other people say 
about flat noses and other things Hke that. I hope 
I win be a very clever man like papa, but then I 
think I will not be so clever as papa, and I think I 
will not be the hope of Terky. 

" Good-bye, my dear Mister Walls, 
" Your affecshonate, 

" Freddy Blackwood." 

Lots of telegrams, and much Egyptian excitement. 
Some newsmonger drops in of an evening generally ; 
D. enjoys this business very much, and feels as if it 
were really worth doing. 

Monday, igth. — ^Three Ambassadors, and two 
Charges d 'Affaires lunched with us, and sat afterwards 
in solemn conclave till half-past three, when they 
went off in a body to the Porte ; D. only returned at 
a quarter to eight. The morning was wet, but I was 
able to go out in the afternoon in the garden. 

Therapia, Friday 22,rd, Saturday 24th. — Sir Frederick 
Goldsmid is out here, bringing with him his special 
knowledge of Egyptian Finance questions. 

Sunday, 2$tk. — Our new church was opened. 
Every available singer was pressed into the choir, 
and many people came from a distance, and all the 
Embassy stayed for the sermon (which is not always 
the case), and every one admired the little chapel. 

There has never been one here before, and this is 
very pretty, the old English style, with red tiles on 
the roof, and beams showing outside and in. 

Monday, 26th. — D. is very busy with a Conference, 
every other day — occasional visits to the Porte, etc. 

In the afternoon I went on board Mr. Goschen's 
and Mr. Hardinge's yacht, and had tea there, Mrs. 
Goschen presiding. I hoisted the flag, bearing her 
name, the Tilburina. 

Thursday, 2gth. — D. dined with Count Corti, a 
15 



2i6 RECEPTION AND VISITS [ch. iv 

Conference dinner, the business being done after, 
and going on till nearly two o'clock a.m. 

In spare moments, D. goes and looks at his boat 
(the Lady Hermione), which is being got into order. 

Captain Grenfell came to tell us that the trial was 
at last over, and that the man who struck Captain 
Selby was condemned to fifteen years' imprisonment, 
and the one who began the quarrel to one year's. He 
thought the trial had been very well conducted. 

Monday, July ^rd. — -We went a lovely ride over the 
hills, and home by the Buyukdere mines. D. and 
other Ambassadors went down to the Porte, and made 
a great commotion when they found the Ministers 
were out. D. was the spokesman of their indigna- 
tion, and he says he made the said Porte shake in 
its sublime shoes. 

Tuesday, 4th. — I had my first monthly reception, 
and it was most successful after the first hour, when 
people were inclined to resolve themselves into a 
formal circle ; that inclination once overcome, they 
stood about and talked, and kept together, and 
seemed happy. 

Wednesday, Sth. — I heard, to my great disappoint- 
ment, that my curtains and furniture will not get 
here till the 30th, so I have no chance of seeing my 
drawing-room nicely arranged yet. We have put up 
quantities of prints and photos in the gallery, which 
furnish it very much. 

D. had a sail in his boat in the morning, and sat 
at the Conference all the afternoon. 

Saturday, Sth. — ^Visits from two gay Turkish ladies, 
gave them five o'clock tea, and introduced them to 
three gentlemen, which was great dissipation for 
them. Then we went out riding — a lovely ride over 
the hills. 

Monday, loth. — I paid visits on the Hill. *' The 
Hill " is the upper part of Therapia, and is just at 




THE " LADY HERMIONE 



i882] THE CRISIS 217 

the back of our garden, but I always find great diffi- 
culty in getting there 1 

I must tell you how D. spent the day. He had 
been writing up to nearly two a.m., and in the 
morning he was extremely busy till lunch, when he 
started off to go to the Porte ; just as he left the 
quay, however, a telegram came, begging him not to 
come ; so he returned, and, after a very short rest, 
set to work again. Before dinner he was inter- 
rupted twice, by Russia and Germany, coming on 
business. When dinner was ready we began with- 
out him, and he came in with the pudding. Then, 
before he left the dining-room, General Wallace came 
with a message from the Sultan, and before he went 
the other Wallace (Mackenzie Wallace), arrived full 
of news and business too. D. talked with him till a 
quarter past eleven — then did a little more business, 
and to bed about half-past twelve. 

But no rest even there 1 At two o'clock came 
a knock at the door, " The Foreign Minister is here^ 
and wishes to see his Excellency," so poor D. had to 
get up and dress, and did not get back to bed till 
four. There is a picture of an Ambassador in a 
crisis 1 

Thursday, I'^th. — D. took me out in the Lady Her- 
mione, but we did not have a very long sail, as Mr. 
G<3rdon Bennett's big yacht, the Namouna, came in, 
and we went on board, and were taken into the Black 
Sea and back by her. She is 600 tons, and is very 
prettily arranged as to cabins, the decoration being 
most aesthetic. The vessel is lighted by electricity. 

Tuesday, iZth. — D. and Nelly and I sailed in the 
Tilburina, with the owners and Mr. Bland. It was 
a lovely day, and all went well with us. We made 
tea on board, and got home at 8 p.m. 

As we were hurrying up to the house Count Corti 
put his head out of the window, and asked D. to 



2i8 CONFERENCES [ch. iv 

come in. He told him the Turks had telegraphed to 
ask for a Conference that evening, but Count Corti, 
having a dinner-party, and not being very keen about 
it, had not answered the telegram ; still, he thought 
they might appear on the scene later, and he asked 
D. to have the meeting here. A room was arranged 
for the purpose, but when no one appeared at 1 1 p.m., 
the lights were extinguished. Very soon after, how- 
ever, three of the " Powers " walked in, just to see if 
anything was going on, and they had just given up 
all thoughts of conferring, when Said, Pasha appeared. 
Finally, however, it was decided not to sit so late at 
night, and the meeting was put off till to-day. It was 
very funny to see how, just as each " Power " said 
good-night, he seized hold of Said, and whispered a 
few last words to him — ^just like a thing in a play. 
He stayed behind with D. and kept him up till half- 
past one. 

Monday, Aug. yth. — D. went down to Said's house 
for the Conference, and only got back at dinner-time. 
I sat ill the garden, and looked on at a little languid 
tennis . 

Wednesday, i6th. — ^We had a delightful ride, - a 
party of twelve, to Kelia, a life-boat station on the 
Black Sea. We had " telephoned " to Mr. Palmer 
that we were coming, so the place was decorated with 
flags, and the Turkish sailors were drawn up in line 
to receive us. The ride is lovely, over hills and 
downs, with now a view of the Bosphorus, and then 
one of the Black Sea, and the road is good. We took 
about two hours to get there, and, after tea and a 
rest, we came back in time for dinner. 

Friday, i8th. — D. broke his mast against a Station- 
naire at Buyukdere, which is a great bore for him, 
as it shuts up his little ship, his greatest pleasure, for 
a few days. He then went to town to settle about 
the Military Convention with Said Pasha. It was 



i882] A PERSIAN PICNIC 219 

so late when he had finished that he had to stay for 
dinner, and did not get home till i a.m. 

Saturday, igth. — ^The Persian Ambassador gave a 
sort of picnic dinner, to which he asked all the 
married diplomatists, and all the children ; I took 
all my seven ! 

We went in the steam launch and big caique to the 
Sweet Waters of Asia. There is a very picturesque 
bit up a narrow river, with rickety wooden Turkish 
houses rising out of the water, rushes on the other 
bank, and some big trees ; it was very pretty to see 
the caiques going up this narrow way. There were 
ninety-six people seated at dinner, and everything 
was well managed. We were two hours at table, but 
Baron Calici was very pleasant, and I did not find 
it long, and I had opposite me the children's table, 
where they seemed to enjoy themselves very much. 

At the end of the dinner, the landscape was lighted 
up with coloured fires (a little tea-gardenish), and 
by nine o'clock we all left, and had a delightful row 
home — even an exciting one — ^for our men raced 
another big caique, and we were all bent upon winning, 
which we did; but sometimes the long pointed end 
of the rival seemed as if it would almost get into 
our eyes, so close was it. The Russian Stationnaire 
lighted up as we passed. 

Wednesday, 2ird. — D. went out sailing, and while 
he was out Munir Bey came from the Sultan ; we had 
to send out after D., and it was amusing to watch 
the chase from the windows. He went to Said Pasha's 
house, dined with him, and got home at eleven. 
During the interview the Turks tried to go back upon 
some of their promises, so D. got up, left the room, 
and walked downstairs, followed by all the Ministers, 
and all the servants, begging him to return, which 
he did. 

Thursday, 24th. — D. sailed in the afternoon, and 



4 



220 GARDEN PARTY AND SAUCE [ch. iv 

again two sets of messengers from the Sultan arrived, 
and again they had to be told he was out on the 
Bosphorus. The Turks must be so astonished at 
an Ambassador who goes wandering about the 
Bosphorus alone. D. always waits at home till two 
o'clock, and they never send to say they are coming, 
so they cannot expect to find him here whenever 
they choose to come. 

Friday, 2 $th. — ^We gave a large garden-party. The 
Turks did not flock to it, at which we were not 
surprised. There were 320 people. The terrace 
where the tennis-ground is was decorated with flags, 
and carpets laid down in places, so that it looked like 
a very big drawing-room. A band played, and every 
one seemed pleased and amused. Mr. Greville came 
from Athens to stay with us. 

Wednesday, 2>'^th. — ^We had a farewell dance for 
Madame Wallenberg (daughter of the Swedish 
Minister), who is a great favourite with us all. In 
the morning I arranged the house, which looked very 
pretty, and was much admired at night. There is a 
round central hall, open to the roof, with a wide 
gallery leading out of it on two sides, a large door 
into the garden, and big doors into a room on the 
other two. The garden doors were open, and a 
flag-lined tent made to close in a space of about 
twelve feet ; this was carpeted and had sofas in it, 
and one lamp, with a shade which looked like a big 
owl, glared upon the dancers. It was a charming | 
place to sit in, and with all these exits, the circular 
ball-room was never too crowded, and the open 
windows on the story above kept it very cool. 

In the middle of the party Said Pasha arrived 
on business. The Sultan was again troublesome, and 
wanted to put off signing the Convention " for two 
days more " (as usual). 

When the business was over the poor old Pasha 



i. 



i«82] THE TILBURINA AND THE HERMIONE 221 

came into the ball-room, and seemed much amused. 
The Sultan works his wretched Ministers day and 
night, and Said told me he really does not know 
when he sleeps ; since he has been in office (three 
months) he is never sure of a night in bed. He stayed 
till about two, then he went back to town and to the 
Palace, and when I came down to breakfast next 
morning, 

Thursday, 31 si. — I heard he was back here again ! 
This time D. was pleased ; the Sultan is capitulating, 
and is ready to do anything. 

I went out in the Tilburina with Mr. and Mrs. 
Goschen and Mr. Greville, and as soon as we had 
had a nice sail we anchored, and began to cook our 
own lunch on some small lamps we have. While we 
were enjoying it, the Lady Hermione sailed round us, 
and got ashore ; and then there was a great hauling 
upon anchors, and pushing and pulling, and many 
nautical manoeuvres were gone through, and the crews 
got into the water ; but all to no purpose till a caique 
came near with two Hercules on board, who calmly 
got out of their boat, put their shoulders under the 
bows of the Hermione, and with one more strong pull 
at the anchors, seemed to lift her easily off into deep 
water. 

When thiswas accomplished we thought it about time 
for tea, so we boiled the kettle, and then sailed home. 

We were all dining with Count Corti — another fare- 
well entertainment to Madame Wallenberg. She has 
many great admirers here, but the general public 
also regrets her departure, as she is bright and lively, 
always ready for everything, and liked by everybody. 

Friday, September ist. — ^We are going in the Ante- 
lope for a little fishing expedition to the Islands. 
The fleet (three boats) goes with us, and we shall 
stay four days. The weather is quite lovely. 

Let no one say Friday is an unlucky day to start 



222 THE ISLANDS [ch. iv 

on an expedition, for we have tried it, and have had 
a most charming holiday. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon our whole fleet, 
consisting of the Antelope, the Lady Hermione (D.'s 
single-handed sailing-boat), the Tilburina (with her 
captains, Mr. Goschen and Mr. Hardinge), and the 
Rambler, manned by Archie and Mr. Macfarren, — not 
to mention the very magnificent steam launch, 
Gazelle, and her humble companion the " steam cut- 
ter," moved out of Therapia Bay on a cruise to the 
Islands ; the children watched the grand departure 
from the shore, and we on board the Antelope — Mrs. 
Goschen, Mr. Bland, Captain Joliffe, and myself — 
all became deeply interested in watching the move- 
ments of the yachts, as they took their different 
courses, the one getting a little more current, the 
other a little more wind, etc. 

At first our interest was more in the race than in 
anything else, but when the wind rose into a real live 
** gale," our emotion became more serious, and we 
had some frightful shudders when we saw the vessels 
heeling well over. I got Captain Joliffe to keep with 
them, and when we got to Moda Bay, we decided to 
anchorT— and not tempt the stormy seas any more. 
A short period of calm ensued, with all our yachts- 
men " on shore " — that is, on board the Antelope — tea 
and cigarettes, and a feeling of being in port, are 
restful after a rough voyage ; this was ruthlessly 
broken into by Captain Joliffe, who suddenly suggested 
going on again. He declared the wind had moderated, 
though no one else thought so. He was obeyed, but 
the Tilburina had to unpack her sail, and to get up 
her big anchor, and so started a little later. D. 
happily took a man with him, for it was quite dark 
when we got to Prinkipo, and it would have been 
difficult for him to manage alone. When we were at 
anchor we burnt blue lights to show the yachts where 



i882] AMATEUR COOKING 223 

we were, and we were very glad when they were all 
safe beside us. 

Saturday, 2nd. — The high winds continue, so, al- 
though Mrs. Goschen and I went in the Antelope to 
Bulwer's Island, we did not attempt to land, and 
the yachts sailed about at their own sweet will, and 
were independent of us. We had a rendezvous at 
two o'clock in a little harbour in another island, which 
we found so charming that we resolved to spend 
the night there. We landed at a little cafe close 
by, taking with us our cooking-stoves, and the raw 
material, and, having chosen a nice sheltered, but 
rather sunny spot for our kitchen, we began to 
prepare our luncheon. 

Just at this moment the giant " Business ** fol- 
lowed the Ambassador, and he found he must go up to 
town ; so v/e quickly cooked him some sausages and 
potatoes, and ** the very best eggs he ever ate in his 
life," and he went off in the Hermione, sailed her to 
Constantinople, and came back for dinner. 

We, in the meantime, had great fun over our 
luncheon. Great was the jealousy amongst the cooks, 
and great the desire of the rest of the party to 
assist ; but of course " too many cooks " (you know 
the end), so we would not hear of their putting their 
fingers in the pie, and we made some lay the tables, 
and do the messages while others superintended the 
pots on two little stoves, and Mrs. Goschen had one 
all to herself, in which she did her favourite dish 
of fried potatoes. We used twenty-four eggs — the 
breaking of each one being a joy in itself — and we 
fried " Wiltshire bacon," and cooked marvellous 
sausages, and when it was all ready we proved the 
success of our efforts by eating up every morsel. 

This brought us very near tea-time, so we next had 
to boil water for that, and we sat under the trees 
enjoying ourselves most of the afternoon. 



224 FISHING [CH. IV 

Then we thought we ought to do something ener- 
getic, so we laid down a ** paraketta," that is, a line 
with 250 hooks attached to it buoyed up at each 
end, which you leave for an hour or two, hoping 250 
fishes will be tempted to swallow the 250 baits ; let 
me say at once, that the virtuous monsters of this 
deep resisted the temptation put before them. While 
we were waiting their pleasure, we began to fish 
with lines, and we all discovered, I will not say a 
talent, but certainly a strong inclination for the 
sport ; so much so, that we settled to begin again at 
daybreak next morning. 

Some of the party had been putting down a seine 
meantime, and we arrived to see it drawn in — ^with 
not much in it ; then we went on board, waited 
for D.'s return, and dined very late. 

Sunday, 2^d. — ^The fishermen were awoke by the 
news that " Lady D. is on the bridge " ; so I was, at 
a quarter past five. Mr. Bland, Mr. Hardinge, and 
Archie joined me there, and we had cocoa and biscuits ; 
and then, having picked up Mr. Goschen, who slept 
on the Tilburina, we went off on our fishing expedition. 
There were various very small sums bet upon the 
first fieh, and the most fish, which appeared to add to 
the interest ; and before our return to the ship for 
breakfast, we had caught thirty between us. The 
morning was lovely, and I enjoyed the " outing " 
immensely. 

Later in the day we picked up another paraketta, 
on which a dog-fish, a skate (with an absurdly comical 
face), and a large orange star-fish had met their fate. 

Again D. was dragged off to town. He bears this 
with resignation, as, owing to the strong winds which 
continue, he is able to sail down in his beloved little 
ship. 

A lovely morning, but not very good fishing ; only 
thirteen fish caught. The day was less windy, so we 



I 



i882] SQUALLS 225 

determined to " have a good sail," and to meet for 
luncheon at two o'clock. 

D. went alone in the Hermione, Clandeboye and 
Mr. Macferran ^ in the Rambler, and the rest of us in the 
Tilburina. We had a very nice sail round the island 
of Prinkipo, with only one adventure, which I confess 
did bring my heart into my mouth for a moment. 
The rendezvous place seemed to be a perfect cave of 
the winds ; squall after squall came out of it, and, as 
we had just come from a summer sea, we had not much 
weigh on, and were an easy prey to the wind. It 
laid us over very flat, and the water came over our 
" combings " ; at this moment the boat came off to 
fetch us, and Mrs. Goschen and I were very glad to 
get into it before a fresh blast should attack us. I 
am bound to say the Tilburina recovered herself 
beautifully, but I felt rather nervous, even on shore, 
till I saw the whole fleet safely anchored. 

Our luncheon place was on the top of a hill, and we 
had something of a climb to get to it. The wind was 
rather playful, and blew a claret bottle over me, but 
one likes this sort of " roughing it " occasionally. 

I embarked on the Hermione to go home, and, as 
the wind was steadier, I had a nice sail with D., and 
later on board the Antelope, changed my claret-stained 
gown, and called on Mrs. (Valentine) Baker, where most 
of our party met, some having walked there. We had 
tea and talk, and congratulated her upon the General's 
Mission to Egypt. Then home to dinner — afterwards 
sat on deck while Captain Joliffe held forth upon the 
rules and regulations for the diet of sailors, and the 
mystery of " Extra Cocoa." This sent Mr. Bland to 
sleep, and, as none of us seemed particularly wide 
awake, I went off to bed. 

After breakfast, but while still at table, we de- 
ciphered a telegram, and then D. gathered together 

* Private Secretary. 



226 BULWER'S ISLAND [ch. iv 

his papers and started for town. As he had business 
to do, I took my passage in the Tilburina. We sailed 
on to Moda Bay, without any tacking or trouble, 
but when we got there we began to " beat," and 
finally got to the Antelope about half-past six. 

Lest you should think we are quite idle, I may 
tell you that kavasses, steam launches, and drago- 
mans are ever on the move about us, that telegrams 
are ciphered and deciphered on board — ^in fact, we 
are in the midst of a crisis. 

Monday, 4th. — ^The wind is still very high. D. and 
Archie, who are the keenest of yachtsmen, decided 
to sail, but the owners of the Tilburina preferred to 
stay with us on board the Antelope, on our trip to 
Bulwer's Island. It was so rough that we found it 
most difficult to land there, but we did finally dis- 
embark (having picked up Archie and D.) at the foot 
of a very steep and rocky precipice. 

The Sultan gave Sir Henry Bulwer this very small 
and rocky island, so he built at the top of it a queer 
habitation, with a quantity of small rooms, with as 
little view as he could manage to get from them, 
with false books round the walls, very gloomy and 
miserable. Nearer the sea, a gateway and stables with 
towers and turrets, imposing and useless. Having 
finished this " Folly," he sold it to the Khedive. It 
is said that when Sir Henry's successor called upon 
Lord Palmerston for instructions, the only advice he 
gave him was, " Don't get shipwrecked on an island." 

We scrambled down successfully, and without 
accident, but we could not see that any animal but a 
goat could ever reach those magnificent stables. 

The launch was here at half-past three, and the 
boys went off, their holidays being over, Nelly and 
Hermie going with them as far as town, and coming 
back looking very tearful. 

I drove to Buyukdere, to do a visit or two, and 



i882] LONG HOURS AT THE PALACE 227 

afterwards sailed with D. I took on board to him 
the news of an Egyptian victory. 

Friday, i$th. — ^The news of Egyptian victories 
pours in, and is very exciting. 

To-day D. went down to the Palace. He was away 
fourteen hours, eleven of them actually at the Palace. 
He declined to " argue with monarchs," and so sat 
in another room with about fifteen diplomatising men, 
who brought messages from the Sultan, argued with 
him, and held him by the coat-tails when he threatened 
to leave. 

The Convention was not signed, and the Govern- 
ment now think it too late. The Turks have made a 
dreadful mess of it ; if they had gone to Egypt instead 
of us, how they would have improved their position ! 
And now ? Baker ^ Pasha says that " no one but D. 
could have managed this affair," and that, " in spite 
of everything, the Turks like him." 

Monday, i8th. — I went in the big caique this after- 
noon with Mrs. Wyndham and Mrs. Goschen, and 
paid three visits. One to the Persian Ambassadress, 
who received us in her empty sitting-room, where 
we sat on divans, and had a very good cup of tea ; 
but the conversation, as filtered through a black 
boy, was not very interesting. We then proceeded 

to Madame H Pasha, a representative of an 

" advanced " Turkish lady — the most fluent French 
chatter, Alfred de Musset on the table, etc. We next 
visited Princess Halim, a real lady, emancipated as far 
as possible from the trammels of female bondage in 
this country, but very quiet and nice. I have never 
liked to go there since Egyptian troubles began, lest 
we should be supposed to be intriguing with the 
prince ; and she seemed so pleased to see me, and said, 
" The quarantine is lifted." 

Wednesday, 20th. — ^We all went in the Antelope to 
1 Sir Valentine Baker. 



228 THE GIANT'S MOUNTAIN [ch. iv 

the Kadikeui Regatta. The Hermione, Tilburina, 
and Rambler were all to sail, but there was not nearly 
enough wind for D.'s boat. On our way down we 
had the satisfaction of beating Admiral Hobart's 
Hawk, and the Italian Stationnaire. Then we 
anchored in Moda Bay, and had luncheon on board. 
At three the boats started. The Tilburina' s mast 
broke at the outset, so she was out of it, and D.'s 
great rival and the winner of the race was a twenty 
ton yacht, so he looked a mite beside her, and con- 
soled himself with a little private race with Mr 
Macfarren, which he won. We went on shore to 
tea, and on our return to the vessel played games 
till the j'-achts came in — ^when we started for home 
The children enjoyed the day very much, and Freddy 
amused himself and others by his sports on the top 
of the awning, which makes a delightful sort of '■ toss 
in the blanket " game. 

Friday, 22nd. — ^We went such a beautiful exploring 
ride all over the hills, and found such soft roads 
and such lovely views, and enjoyed the fine air in 
Belgrade Forest. 

Wednesday, 2jth. — ^We had a very successful tea 
picnic^ to the Giant's Mountain. We went in the 
launch to Beicos, and then walked or drove in arabas 
(ox-carts) to the top. The views on the way were 
perfectly lovely. At the top there is a well, down 
which the children shouted, and were answered back 
by a resounding echo ; and then we all proceedec 
to the wishing- trees. They are in a small court off 
a mosque, and are planted on the grave of Joshua 
or rather over one of his legs, which must have been 
a gigantic limb. The wishers tie a bit of something 
belonging to them on a branch, and the shrubs 
produce a most curious appearance, covered as they 
are with rag-blossoms of all sorts and colours. 

Preparations are being made for a regatta, and 



i882] A REGATTA 229 

much rehearsing and discussion goes on about it. 
The amateurs' rowing race, for which the ladies give 
a prize, is exciting. The Enghsh, Itahans, Austrians 
and Russians have boats, but the EngHsh is the 
only one which keeps to its own countrymen, the other 
crews being mixed. They go out to practise twice a 
day, and our men are in a great state of anxiety, 
because they feel that as Englishmen they must win, 
and yet they fear they are very bad. Our big caique 
is also practising, and the Bosphorus is quite gay with 
competitors of various kinds, in spite of very rough 
and showery weather. 

Wednesday, Oct. nth. — ^The " Upper Bosphorus Re- 
gatta " is over, and has been the greatest success I 
Weather splendid, no contretemps, crowds of people, 
great interest shown in the races, and the English 
sufficiently victorious. 

We made ourselves smart in honour of the occa- 
sion, and, directly after breakfast, went out on the 
balcony, from whence we could see the whole course ; 
the view up into the Black Sea, round by Buyukdere, 
and then all along our quay and down the Bosphorus, 
was lovely. The water was covered with caiques, 
sailing-boats, launches, etc., and the quay was crowded 
with sight-seers . Later on carriages, too, promenaded 
up and down, and yashmaks could be seen in some of 
them, while some Turkish ladies even ventured on the 
water. The first race was for the state caiques, and we 
went down to see them start ; at first the men struck, 
and said they must have more money for rowing, but 
a fervent " Go home I " brought them to their senses, 
and four started. They had a first-rate race, and 
we won. Our old caiquejee (steerer) in his red-and- 
gold costume, embraced his men when they passed 
the winning-post. 

Meantime we had returned to our balcony, and 
were in a state of the wildest excitement over our 



230 REGATTA SPORTS [ch. iv 

amateur race ; we rather feared the ItaUans, so, 
when we saw our boat ahead of them, there was 
such a waving of sashes and handkerchiefs as they 
passed the Embassy as never was, and Mr. Bland who 
followed them in the steam launch was standing on 
the top of the cabin, waving his hat, and cheering in 
the most frantic manner. It was most exciting. We 
also won the men-of-war sailing race, and the Italians 
the rowing race. 

Another very interesting one was between the 
life-boats. 

After this the greasy pole began. It was just 
under our balcony. There was a pig in a basket at 
the end of it, and any one who could get to the end, 
was to let it out ; the pig would drop into the water, i 
and there would be a great chase after it. All round 
the place were quantities of boats of all sorts. At 
first there was the usual fun of men starting off in 
various states of balance, and finally tumbling into 
the water ; no one reached the pig, but at last he 
worked himself out of his basket, and plump he went 
into the Bosphorus ; an excited sailor in full dress, 
jumped after him and seized him in his arms, which 
brought all the half-naked athletes to a sense of the 
situation, and they all jumped in too, and there 
was such a struggle and a squealing from the pig, 
and then the sailor tried to clamber into the boat 
with the pig in his arms, and the boat capsized, and 
two more dressed sailors went over with it, and more 
" scrimmaging " began. Then they all seized hold 
of another boat, and were on the point of capsizing 
it, when they suddenly discovered that D.'s sailor 
had slipped round in his dinghy to the other side, 
and was carrying off the pig in triumph. 

The life-boat exercises were very interesting, too. 
They upset their boat, clambering up under the seats 
as they did so, and remaining under several minutes 



i882] AN IMPORTANT TELEGRAM 231 

till the boat righted itself, and like bees, one saw them 
coming out from their cells . My balcony was crowded 
with guests all day. I had some people to lunch, 
and more to tea. 

One of the kavasses said to Arthur, " I never saw 
such people as you English are. You do everything : 
you ride, and you play games, and you sail, and now 
you row." 

The wind, which generally is to be found at Ther- 
apia, has failed altogether, and this week there is 
no sailing to be had. We tried fishing on Saturday 
evening, but there was so much phosphorus that the 
fishes saw the golden line let down to them, to say 
nothing of the stars of light that wandered over the 
surface of the water, and were too enlightened to bite. 
October 16th. — Early Monday morning we got up 
to see the comet ; such a magnificent one 1 Its 
reflection in the Bosphorus was a sight ! 

October 2gth. — I had just come out from breakfast 
when D. called me, and showed me a telegram he 
had just received from Lord Granville. " Would you 
be willing to go to Egypt for a time ? " D. replied 
that he would be ready to start in three days. So 
it was decided on Monday morning that we should 
lift our camp and start on Thursday with plate, 
linen, china, and glass. A palace is to be lent us at 
Cairo, and we are to travel in the Antelope. 

The Sultan was much displeased at D.'s appoint- 
ment, and sent his private secretary to protest, 
saying, " He would look upon his going as an offence." 
D. replied that he could receive no message affecting 
the relations of the two countries except through 
the Sultan's responsible Ministers. The result of this 
answer was that the Sultan telegraphed to say that 
he would receive D. before he left. 

So, on November 2nd, D. went to the Palace and 
was most cordially received. 
16 



232 EN ROUTE TO EGYPT [ch. iv 

I left Therapia in the Antelope, and D. came on 
board at Pera after this satisfactory interview. We 
are about twenty on board : ourselves, Nelly (whom I 
have emancipated from the school-room), Katie and 
Arthur, Mr. Bland, Mr. Macfarren, two maids, four 
men-servants, two kavasses, cook, etc. The Antelope 
is not very fast, but we have passed through the 
Dardanelles, and the weather is lovely. 

Saturday, November 4th. — ^We arrived at Syra 
about ten o'clock, and, as we had to coal, we were 
glad to leave the ship. Syra looks like a cardboard 
town, very white square houses built along the 
quay, where all the " Orthodox " live, and then, after 
a space of neutral ground, on which are no buildings, 
comes the Catholic quarter, climbing up a very steep 
hill, with their church at the summit. Everything 
is built of marble, and there is a square with a broad 
white marble pavement in the middle for a promen- 
ade — not a tree is to be seen anywhere, and the place 
looks intensely barren. Mr. Binney (a nephew of 
our old Dr. Binney) is the Consul, and the head 
of all the Eastern Telegraphs there. He took us a 
drive to a garden, which, from the difficulty of 
growing flowers here, is a sight, and, though the place 
belonged to the mayor, we broke into it in a most 
burglarious manner. The view from the yacht is 
lovely — the sea a beautiful blue — the town climbing 
the hill is picturesque in the distance, and the other 
islands are all lovely when you get far enough from 
them. Tenos we passed very close to, and it looked 
just like a raised map. A mountain-range on the 
map is a stone wall in the island, and there are 
curious volcanic hills with odd shapes. Our weather 
is beautiful, and we have a fair wind. 

Sunday, ^th. — ^Weather still fine, and wind fair. 
Passed by Crete. We had a telegram from Sir E. 
Malet at Syra, to say he had accepted the palace 



i882] ARRIVAL AT ALEXANDRIA 233 

offered by the Khedive for us on our first arrival ; but 
that, as it is some way out of town, he has arranged 
for us to move into another house lent us in the 
town, " with beautiful rooms and large garden," as 
soon as it can be got ready. 

Tuesday, jth. — ^The flat coast of Egypt in sight, and 
great scrubbing going on on board, so that we may 
look smart on arrival. Captain Joliffe is beaming 
at having made so good a passage, and the navigating 
Lieutenant is deep in the difficult entry to the har- 
bour. We all stand on the bridge and look at the 
holes made in the fortifications, and then, as we 
approach nearer, we begin to make out what ships 
are there, and what " rig " the sailors on them wear 
— ^we are so afraid of not being quite correct — and 
then an Arab pilot comes to take us to our mooring, 
and different officials board us, and, as we pass 
the Khedive's yacht, a big band begins to play, and 
bugles on the other ships to salute, and then from 
several ships the nineteen guns are fired, and so we 
are fastened to our buoy amidst a flourish of trumpets. 

Then comes an official sent by the Khedive to 
receive us — and the Consul, and Captain Fitzroy of 
the Orion (who led the Naval Brigade), and it is 
settled that we shall go for a drive round Alexandria, 
— have lunch at one of the palaces, and proceed by 
special train to Cairo at one o'clock. So we get into 
a magnificent barge of the Khedive's, and I sit on a 
blue velvet and gold throne, and we are rowed by 
eighteen men in sailor uniform, who have a very 
peculiar stroke. They have great heavy oars, cut 
in an octagon shape, and each time they turn them 
over with a rattle. At starting, they went very fast, 
but, as we are great swells, and must be moving along 
in a dignified fashion, the " stroke " soon gave a 
signal, and then they all made a long pause as they 
bent forward over the oar, and another as they pulled 



234 . ALEXANDRIA [ch. iv 

back. So we landed, and got into the Khedive's 
carriages. Two smart runners ran before us — men 
with fezes, sleeveless gold-embroidered jackets, long 
white sleeves fastened together behind, white loose 
trousers and bare brown legs ; in their hands they 
carried sticks. As we passed along the streets all 
who were sitting rose, and everybody made some sort 
of salute. The streets are very well paved, but all 
the finest part of the town was burnt down. The 
curious thing is that the ruins do not look burnt. 
You see no trace of smoke, and what is demolished is 
done thoroughly, a house being a mere heap of white 
stones, and not a ruin in the ordinary sense of the 
word. It was curious to look at the veiled women, 
with a wooden guard over their noses, and thick 
cloth hanging from it, so that one really has no idea 
of their faces — very different from the Turkish 
yashmak ; but in this drive the palm-trees and the 
flowers interested me most. There are now great 
red-and-yellow bunches of dates hanging from the 
palms, and the palings to the houses are laden with 
lovely coloured flowers, and all sorts of shrubs the 
same. The Poinsetia, which I have only seen _in 
small plants, is a tree here, and very beautiful it is. 
We lunched in a palace, and then got into the train 
for Cairo. On the way we saw with interest the 
picturesque figures that turn up at every moment, 
one on a camel, another on a donkey, a child lying 
on a buffalo's back, one little brown figure walking 
calmly along shining with wet, and carrying its shirt 
in its hand, tall thin upright Arabs in every sort of 
coloured garment, black men in the whitest of tur- 
bans and dressing-gowns, mysterious females in dark 
blue, carrying infants who seem to dread the light 
for their poor sore eyes — humanity is very curious 
to look at here ; one never sees a commonplace speci- 
men. 



i882] CAIRO 235 

Then the wretched mud encampments of the fellahs, 
far exceeding in wretchedness the worst of Irish 
cabins, came constantly into view, while the scenery 
in general was that of a flat plain — green at the 
present moment after its recent immersion ; palm- 
trees everywhere ; cotton plants, Indian corn, and 
bamboos. Then we crossed the hill twice, and finally 
got to Cairo at 6.30. 

There we received in our special car (very like a 
Pullman) Sir Edward Malet, Baker Pasha, and several 
other people ; there was a crowd outside, and 
carriages waiting, and we drove to this palace (Kasr- 
el-Musa), which is lent us, where forty-six beds are 
prepared for us, and every comfort in the way of 
food. I am in a blue satin apartment, Nelly sleeps 
under yellow satin curtains, and we have a sitting- 
room between, to say nothing of dressing-rooms 
supplied with powder and scent and every luxury. 
There is a very large " saloon " in the centre of the 
house, and Katie lives on the other side of it, but we 
only stay here a few days. Sir E. Malet dined with 
us, and, when he left we all went to bed at once, being 
desperately tired. 

The people seem to take great interest in D.'s 
arrival — some think he is come to be a Viceroy, and 
accept the giving up of the country quite calmly, and 
others think he is to let Arabi out of prison. 

Wednesday, Sth. — ^We went to take a little walk in 
the garden, being tempted out by the lovely bushes 
of jasmine, bushes of roses, and bushes of holly- 
hocks, and we were rather amused when, having 
started without Katie, a soldier came up to tell us 
by signs that she was the other side of the house ; we 
followed him all over the garden asking every one 
where she was, until at last we met her with another 
soldier also looking for us ; the one then went before, 
and the other behind us, and we walked about thus, 



236 AN EGYPTIAN WEDDING [ch. iv 

until, being unable to get rid of our guard, we came 
in. D. went at ten to see the Khedive, and then His 
Highness came to see us. He is a stout young man, 
with good eyes and teeth, and is happily a great 
talker. He speaks most fluent French, only says 
" chose " whenever the proper word does not turn 
up, and never stops to replace it. 

In the afternoon we went to see our future house. 
It is enormous, and has a lovely garden, but it is 
very discouraging at first, for the splendid saloons 
are quite destitute of tables, and much space is wasted 
in large stone halls, which have to be lighted with 
candles ! The bedrooms, too, are very un-English, 
and I shall have to try and hire a lot of things for 
them. 

We went a very pretty drive by the Nile under 
shady trees, and saw the East and the West mixed. 
Palms, camels, the British soldier, the veiled woman, 
and the Highland kilt — the latter looks very funny 
on a donkey. 

Thursday, gth. — I received a message inviting me 
to the Palace this morning for part of a wedding (the 
contract), so Katie and Nelly and I went there. At 
the gate of the Harem we left our A.D.C., and pro- 
ceedecf alone. The first sight was very like what I 
have before described to you, a large hall with females 
in every sort of queer dress wandering about, some 
smoking, some standing with folded arms, and all 
with very long trains to their dresses, and " pork- 
pie " caps on their heads. After sitting amongst 
them for a few moments, we were asked into a room, 
where a majestic woman sat on a divan. It was an 
appalling moment, for she took not the smallest 
notice of me, and only acknowledged my bow by 
waving me to a chair by her. There I sat down 
meekly and gazed, first at her gigantic proportions 
robed in magenta and silver stripes, wondered at the 



i882] THE BRIDE 237 

fatness of her fingers, and replied (when at last she 
said something in Arabic to me), " Je ne comprends 
pas, madame." Then I looked at the throne pre- 
pared for the bride, with its gold embroideries, 
and silver tinsel spread everywhere, over plants, 
fastened to the chairs, etc. After some time, a lady 
who spoke French came, and a short conversation 
passed between us ; but even then I did not find out 
that the majestic lady by my side was the Khedive's 
mother and not his wife, whom I afterwards saw. She 
has a charming face, speaks French, and was as nice 
as possible. She said, " We shall always pray for your 
Queen, for she saved our lives " — and she told me 
they were thirty-four hours at Alexandria without 
a bit of food, and that her sister died during the bom- 
bardment, when they had not even a bed to lay her on. 

Princess Nazli I met too — she is an emancipated 
Egyptian lady who sees everybody, and goes about 
as she likes. All the ladies present were relations. 

The bride was plain but magnificently dressed, and 
bowed down with diamonds. She was brought in 
and set upon a throne, where she sat for an hour — in 
front of her on a cushion the bridegroom's presents 
— diamond tiara, bracelet, etc., etc. While she sat 
there, four girls in blue satin and silver danced ; part 
of their performance was very pretty. They had 
their hair down, and they swayed about and twisted 
it over, and bent themselves in every direction, the 
hair always following the motions of the body — this 
part was very graceful, but the vibration part is less 
so. They shake all over, and have a way of moving 
the stomach which is quite inconceivable. It is as 
though they had a machine to do it with, and I 
can't think how the human figure can be made to 
** upheave " in the way they make it. It is extremely 
curious and ugly. 

When this was over the Princess threw handfuls 



238 THE WEDDING PARTY [ch. iv 

of small gold coins about. Some of the ladies stuck 
one of these on their foreheads. 

After this there was more sitting still, the bride 
having been led away, and, as there was music in the 
outer hall, I was too glad to accept Princess Nazli's 
invitation to go and hear it. Men closely screened off 
were playing, and we squatted on a divan till lunch- 
time, when the Khedive's mother sailed through the 
room and we all followed. I sat on her right, and we 
had a very good lunch, all the " sisters, the cousins, 
and the aunts " being present. Arab music was being 
dinned into our ears behind our chairs, so conversation 
would have been difficult even had it been possible 
for me to accost my neighbour. When we came out 
of the dining-room we were amused to see the we«- 
musicians brought in to play — they all were blind- 
folded, so that they should not see the houris. 

I must say most of the women are plain ; the younger 
ones often have their hair dyed. They wear most 
unbecoming headdresses, and have long strealy gowns. 
A great many cut their hair quite short, and so few are 
at all distinguished-looking that it is very difficult to 
tell which are slaves and which ladies. I don't think 
the reigning mother can come of an aristocratic family. 

D. is paying visits all day, and I am interrupted 
every time I sit down to write ; so I shall be very glad 
when I am settled. 

We all dined with Sir E. Malet. There were six- 
teen people, and Nelly made her first appearance, and 
was fortunate in having a talkative young officer next 
her, to counterbalance the Prime Minister (Sherif 
Pasha) on her other side. Lady Strangford was 
there too ; she has a hospital here. Sir Auckland 
Colvin, two Ministers, and Sir Edward's staff were 
the other guests. 

Friday, loth. — I had a long business morning. I 
went to the house we are to have, and went over it 



i882] OUR HOUSE IN CAIRO 239 

about four times trying to arrange it. Rather a 
difficult matter, for, though it is enormous, it is wasted 
in things one does not want. There is a synagogue 
in it, but no pantry ; open courts and marble halls, 
but a deficiency of bedrooms ; satin chairs and sofas 
by the hundred, and not one table, big or little, in 
any room. Then I found the owner thought of 
shutting up about half of it, and I had to get room 
after room from him by degrees, for, as he lends us 
the house, one has to deal gently with him. Then 
he said, " You won't mind the wardrobes being locked 
up ? " I mildly suggested that we had just a few 
things to put in them, but he went on to say, " You 
know, you can see yourself in them just as well when 
they are locked." Then downstairs there is very 
little attempt at servants' offices, and I don't think 
our butler and cook were as careful of his feelings as 
I was I We are a difficult party to house, for D. has 
to have study, secretary's room next to him, and a 
waiting-room to receive people in. Then the Chancery, 
Arthur's study, school-room, etc. — all these cut into 
a house. I think, on the whole, we have arranged it 
pretty well ; but we shan't get in for a week. 

In the afternoon we took a little drive through old 
Cairo and its very picturesque narrow streets, but our 
coachman took us so fast that we did not see much, 
and, as I began to wonder whether it was safe for 
us to go through this part of the town alone, I did 
not try to stop him. 

Saturday, nth. — I went to the citadel to-day and 
found when I got there that my visit was looked upon 
as official. I had only thought of seeing the view 
from it. The Commandant (Colonel Leith of the 
Cameron Highlanders) and his A.D.C. (Mr. Baines) 
took us all over barracks and hospital, and finally 
gave us tea in their rooms. The hospital is in an 
old palace, and there are fine large rooms ; but, alas ! 



240 THE BAZAARS [ch. iv 

there are two hundred and ninety sick, and only four 
nurses ! I shall try to go there often, and at least 
may cheer up a few of the invalids by the sight of an 
English face (the nurses are Italian Sisters). There 
is one fine mosque and one old one to be seen up there, 
and there is a very fine view over the town, with the 
Pyramids in the distance. 

Sunday, 1 2th. — ^This is the first day of a new century, 
so all the men had to go and congratulate the Khedive. 
We went to church. The clergyman is Dean 
Butcher, who came here from China. Then I called 
upon Lady Strangford at her hospital. She has forty 
beds, and is very proud of her own superiority over 
the Military Hospital ; but, as they say, " We have 
fourteen hundred sick to provide for, while she is 
able to cut her coat according to her cloth." In the 
afternoon we walked, and in the evening three men 
dined ; but there was nothing interesting to tell of this. 

Monday, i^th. — ^We were to have gone to the 
Pyramids to-day, but, although our lunch did start, 
we put off the expedition as the mail had to be got 
ready, and several of us felt a little " seedy." I 
suppose one has to be acclimatised, for at present all 
my Constantinople energy seems to have vanished, 
and I am not up to doing much. Instead of this, 
we drove to the bazaars, and walked about there. I 
don't think they are as good as those in Constantinople, 
but they may be more curious, and the street leading 
to them is like an uncovered bazaar ; it is narrow, and 
there are little shops on either side, small, square 
places, in which the owner squats and carries on his 
trade, his eyes close down over the work he has in hand. 
" Eyes " — if he has two ; but it appears to me that it 
is much more fashionable here to have only one. 

We went also to see a real Egyptian house, owned 
by the eldest descendant of the Prophet. He was 
away, but his son received us, a very intelligent 




I . 



i882] AN INTERESTING HOUSE 241 

boy, with charming manners. The house was most 
interesting. We entered first into a courtyard, with 
a very big tree growing close up to it. All the 
windows have elaborate woodwork of a very pretty 
pattern, and are lovely outside, but so successful in 
keeping out the light that it was difficult to see 
the ornamentation of the rooms from the inside. 
These rooms were at long distances from each other ; 
one either passed through a garden or a court to 
get from one to the other. They were alike in shape — 
long squares, and there were square recesses on every 
side, the floors of which were raised above that of the 
middle, while divans went round the sides of them. 
Every bit of the place — floor, ceiling, walls — was orna- 
mented either with old tiles, or mosaic, or painting ; 
but, as I say, one could not see the details well. We 
had had coffee in a court all roofed in with trellis-work 
covered with vines. 

Mr. Burton (the traveller) and Mr. L. Moore dined 
with us. The former " held forth " all the time, and 
was both interesting and amusing. 

Tuesday, 14th. — I went to the hospital with Mrs. 
FitzGerald, and took some flowers to the invalids. 
It is such a hopelessly big place that we just kept 
to the worst cases. Another day I will tell you more 
about them. Afterwards we looked at the Artillery 
Barracks, and had tea with Major Lloyd and Colonel 
Minto Elliot, and saw an enormous goat, the regimental 
pet. They have made the barracks so nice and 
clean. The natives must be astonished to see people 
take such trouble to paint and arrange for a limited 
period. The filth there had been terrible; 10,000 
Egyptian troops had occupied quarters which we 
find small for a thousand. 

Wednesday, i^th. — ^To-day we went to the Pyra- 
mids. In addition to our own party, we had Mrs. 
FitzGerald, Sir E. Malet, Major Ardagh, and Captain 



242 THE PYRAMIDS [ch. iv 

Joliffe. We went in a large char-a-banc, with four 
horses, one of the wheelers being ridden by a French 
postilion, who, from his saddle, drove the other two. 
We went very fast along a beautiful road with trees 
on either side arching over it, and making a complete 
shade. Of course we saw the Pyramids almost all 
the way, but when I came really up to them, I could 
only think of the ascent. To stand at the foot of a 
wall 500 feet high which seemed simply to have a 
rough surface, and think that one was expected to go 
up it, took one's breath away ! — I felt I could not 
do it, it was so infinitely worse than I had imagined ; 
but D. wanted me to try, and Nelly was half-way 
up, and the Arabs were buzzing round me, and making 
me very nervous lest they should carry me up against 
my will, so I said I would try if everybody swore 
that I should be allowed to return if I did not like 
it. So I started ; but every moment the feat appeared 
to me more impossible, and when I imagined myself 
climbing along narrow ledges of stone, two, three, four 
and then five hundred feet from the ground the idea 
became intolerable, and even when I got safely back to 
the ground (having ascended only about twenty feet), 
I had to make a great effort to recover myself from 
the ef^ct produced upon my nerves. People tell you 
about " great broad slabs " ; there may be some 
occasionally, but I only know that, in my little bit, 
I often had to walk sideways because there was no 
room to go forwards, and that, looking upon it in cold 
blood, I think it the most dangerous thing to under- 
take without some real necessity or object. So I 
returned to Katie, and we sat and watched the ascent 
of the party, who looked like flies on a wall as they 
clambered about. Afterwards we saw a very curious 
temple, and the head of the Sphynx, and some tombs ; 
but " are not all these things written in the Book of 
Murray ? " One thing that made the view different 



i 



i882] THE HOSPITAL 243 

from usual was the water. At the present moment 
the Pyramids rise almost from the sea. There is 
water on every side, and very pretty it looks ; but the 
floods will soon go down and the aspect of the place 
be quite changed. I have not mentioned the prosaic 
lunch, which, however, took place. 

Thursday, i6th. — I went in the morning to see the 
house which the owner hands over to us to-day. I 
was delighted with it. It looks quite a different 
thing now, and we shall be so glad to get into it. It 
is palatial. Mr. Catawe has been so very kind and 
thoughtful in arranging it for us, and has given us 
the whole of it, besides the Lodge, where we set up 
a laundry and stables. I must describe it when we 
get there. 

All the afternoon Nelly and I and Mrs. FitzGerald 
(Lord Houghton's daughter) spent at the hospital. 
We took flowers to the men, and wrote some letters 
for them, and we talked to great numbers. From what 
I observe, I think the character of the fever is getting 
much milder ; none of the new arrivals in the hospital 
seem to be bad, and the deaths are fewer ; but still, 
going every other day, there are vacant beds to be 
seen each time — vacant through death. 

We dined at the FitzGeralds. They have such a 
lovely little house ; the doors and all the woodwork 
are Egyptian carving, and he has collected some very 
pretty china, also oriental ; so everything matches, 
down to the magnificent turbaned black, the " Chief 
Butler." I sat between Mr. FitzGerald ^ and Sir Archi- 
bald Alison, both very pleasant men, and Nelly between 
" Russell of the Times " and Sir E, Malet. I thought 
it was rather formidable for her, but she said she liked 
it " awfully," and was only rather overcome at 
taking precedence of Lady Alison, who has just 
arrived. She has two daughters, one of whom she 

^ Sir Gerald FitzGerald. 



/ 



244 OUR NEW HOUSE [ch. iv 

is bringing out prematurely, just as I have done with 
Nelly. Several people came in the evening, and Mr. 
Harrington Foote sang some very amusing songs, 
besides some sentimental ones, as did the other per- 
formers . 

Friday, November lyth. — I had a very long morning 
of letter- writing, and began the afternoon by paying 
visits ; it is very fatiguing making a quantity of tem- 
porary acquaintances ; at 4.30 we went to tea with 
Sir Edward Malet's staff, bachelors, who have a very 
nice house here. 

Saturday, iSth. — ^We left Kasr-el-Musa for good 
this afternoon, and are very glad to be at home once 
more. Of course we are not settled yet, but we have 
many of our home comforts, and can do as we like, 
and are in town instead of being some way from it. 
There are three drawing-rooms opening into each other. 
The first, being hideous and unnecessary, we have 
handed over to Arthur to see people in. The second 
is a dull room with windows only at one end. The 
third, my boudoir, is gorgeous indeed ! True, the 
colours are rather mixed, but one imagines it is 
oriental splendour. The walls are green, with red 
stars in the pattern ; the ceiling is a " ceiling of many 
colours." There is a maroon velvet divan richly 
embroidered in gold, a large assortment of bright blue 
chairs, of sage-green ones, of old gold, of grey satin, 
all also embroidered in gold — some of the woodwork 
is red and green and blue and gold — the curtains are 
grey satin (very pretty), the doors mauve, with 
variegated patterns on the panels — there is one bright 
crimson, and one pale blue chair, and in the centre 
of the room a Meuble to hold three persons, each 
seat being a different colour. There is a handsome 
Persian carpet, and low seats of all these varied 
colours scattered over it. The European element 
has just been introduced into this sanctum, and an 



i882] ARRANGING THE HOUSE 245 

irruption of photographs has now come out all over 
it. An enormous writing-table has been introduced 
into it, and two other tables suggest, by the things 
on them, that the inhabitants sometimes read and 
sometimes work. Out of this Nelly has a dear little 
room with many oriental seats in quieter tints, and 
only a very little magnificence introduced ; then 
comes a very nice waiting-room in which we break- 
fast, then D.'s study, and Mr.Macferran's room — and all 
these open into an enormous hall, which opens into a 
billiard-room, which opens on to an open court. 

Upstairs you find yourself in another " Alhambra," 
a great Moorish circular place on to which our bed- 
rooms open — to say nothing of a big sitting-room in 
yellow satin. I must leave Katie to describe to you 
her gorgeous blue satin embroidered curtains, which 
were intended for me ; but I took a lower place, as it 
was much more convenient for me to be elsewhere. 
In the garden we have a lake, a boat, and lovely 
roses ! 

We dined with the " Staff " in a thorough draught 
(people will imagine it is warm here), and they danced 
after, which did warm us up a little. 

Sunday, igth. — I have not got acclimatised yet, and, 
not feeling very well, I remained at home, and did not 
stir out of the garden. Princess Nazli, a self-emanci- 
pated cousin of the Khedive's, came to see me, and 
was introduced to all my gentlemen. She speaks 
'English very well, and is nice-looking. Sir Edward 
Malet also came to see me. 

We shall have three operas a week (the fourth is 
Sunday), and I shall try being at home one night, 
and see whether " drums " are successful in this place. 
Mr. Lionel Moore (who speaks Arabic) arrived to help 
D.'s Chancery. 

Tuesday, 21st. — I went to see Princess Said, the 
wife of an ex- Khedive, and the one who was in power 



246 VISIT TO PRINCESS SAID [ch. iv 

when my mother-in-law was here. I had often heard 
of her. She is a gaunt, but lady-Uke woman, and she 
has very good manners. She received me in a court 
outside the house, and conducted me into her sitting- 
room, which had some pictures on the walls, and 
which looked more comfortable than most of the 
harems. We sat on a divan, and very long pipes 
were brought, and then coffee, and Princess Nazli 
talked and translated. Katie and Nelly were taken 
round the house and gardens, and then we were 
given a peculiar dish which is eaten on this day, the 
tenth of the New Year. A silver table was brought 
in, and then an enormous silver tray, round which 
five of us sat. The stuff was in very large glass 
bowls, and we had one each, though one would have 
been enough for us all. Princess Nazli declared that 
it was a Biblical dish, and that Noah made it out of 
all the stores that remained in his ark at the end of 
the Deluge ! It was rather good, and Shem, Ham, 
and Japhet must have enjoyed it immensely. It was 
like thick barley gruel full of pistachio nuts, and 
walnuts , and almonds . After this , we wiped our fingers 
on napkins heavy with gold embroidery, and sipped 
something out of a golden cup, and took a stately 
departure. Princess Nazli told us a great deal about 
the amount of money wasted on weddings. Her 
sister (whose wedding we were at the other day), 
having been conveyed to the palace in a carriage of 
the Khedive's, had to give the servants connected 
therewith presents to the amount of ;£200 — that part 
of the ceremony cost her ;^2,ooo, and the husband, 
besides ;£8,ooo worth of diamonds to the bride, must 
have spent a great deal on other presents ; ;£40,ooo 
is the sort of sum a complete marriage may cost in 
high life. The ladies are deeply in debt — one received 
the other day forty cases of dresses from Paris. The 
duty on them amounted to ;^2,ooo, and this lady's nurse 



i882] THE THEATRE 247 

ran up a little bill of £10,000 for her own dresses. 
Fancy Hallie doing such a thing — or even me ! and 
there are no men to see all this finery ! The " Vice- 
Reine's " sister who died during the troubles in 
Alexandria left a debt of £150,000. She was twenty- 
four years old. 

Wednesday, 22nd. — ^We went to look at the theatre 
here — a monument of the extravagance of Ismail. 
It is curious to see the enormous stores of scenery 
and properties. Scenery for every opera — and boxes 
full of satins, and velvets, and gauzes, and other 
materials to make new costumes, besides wardrobes 
full of ready-made ones, a room full of wigs, a room 
full of boots, one for armour, another for musical 
instruments, a row of umbrellas, beginning with a 
Japanese paper one, and ending with the veriest 
Gamp ! — a room full of jewellery, and especially that 
which was made for Alda and which is copied 
from the antique, beautiful and too elaborate for the 
stage. Then we saw the original score of Alda for 
which the Khedive paid £8,000. 

All the time we were there a rehearsal was going 
on, and it was amusing to come in for a bit of it every 
now and then. After seeing it all, we went on to 
the hospital. Mr. Cartwright and Colonel Stuart 
dined ; the latter is going to the Soudan at once. We 
had a fearful night with mosquitoes — a blood-thirsty 
army of them took possession of the curtains, and 
candles had to be lighted, and finally a fumigation 
made to get rid of them. 

Thursday, 2T,rd. — ^This morning an A.D.C. from 
the Vice-Reine was announced, and he appeared, fol- 
lowed by a Hamal (porter), bearing on his head a tray 
covered over with a velvet cloth embroidered with gold 
and pearls ; under it were three silver dishes with the 
barley gruel I have already described in them, and 
small gold coins spread over each. This was a little 
17 



248 DINNER AT THE ABDIN PALACE [ch. iv 

attention from the Khedive's wife. The cover and 
the dishes we returned, and I gave two " lots " of the 
food and coins to the servants. 

Monday, 2'jth. — I have been very busy doing the 
invitations for a drum we are going to give next 
Friday. It really was a labour, for people write their 
names so badly, and one has to look them out in the 
Army List, and, as they are single men (280 men 
and 32 ladies !) they take twice as many cards for 
the number as an ordinary party would. I was two 
very long mornings over them. In the evening we 
had a small dinner, the only remarkable thing being 
that we sat in the drawing-room for the first time, 
and found it simply gorgeous 1 there is a foot of gold 
carving round each chair, and the furniture and 
curtains are of a beautiful cherry colour ; it is lighted 
by 180 candles, and is most brilliant. 

Tuesday, 2Sth. — I had just got my invitations safely 
out of the house when I received one for the same 
night from the Headquarters Staff for a concert ; 
but they must give way. We dined with the Khedive 
at the Abdin Palace, all of us. There was a band 
stationed outside, which played " God save the 
Queen." as we arrived. A chamberlain took us in, 
and conducted me to the top of the handsome stair- 
case, where the Khedive met me. We had some time 
to wait before dinner, but it was not at all stiff — • 
everybody talked. Then the Khedive took me in, 
and Sir E. Malet sat on the other side, having taken 
Nelly in, and the Khedive discoursed to me upon the 
evils of polygamy, and the education of his children, 
the extravagance of his father, and the smallness 
of his own suite (60 persons instead of 700 as in the 
days of Ismail) ; and the table was beautifully arranged 
with beds of flowers flat on the cloth, little Turkish 
and English flags, and large silver candelabra ; the 
food was very good, a band played outside, and it 



i882] AN ANECDOTE 249 

was all very well done. I wore red satin and my 
tiara ; Katie her wedding-dress and diamonds (she 
looked very well). The Alison family were there 
(the General took in his own daughter), and all the 
Ministers. The Khedive proposed the Queen's health, 
and D. his. 

D. had a very busy day, but got through " a good 
stroke of business." 

Wednesday, 2gth. — We rode along a beautiful shady 
road, and through the garden which belongs to the 
exiled Prince Halim. There I saw large orange- 
trees covered with fruit, smelling so sweet as one 
passed them. 

Lord and Lady Charles Beresford dined with us. 
They had been shipwrecked on their way to India ; 
he had behaved with his usual gallantry and decision, 
and every one was saved — ^with their baggage. 

He was very pleasant, and told many amusing 
stories. One, of Sir H. Havelock Allan, who, during 
the war, wore some nondescript uniform, and who in 
consequence passed by a sentry without receiving 
the proper salute. " Sir, I am a General in the 
British Army. You must salute me whenever I pass 
you." " All right, sir " — upon which Sir Henry went 
up and down the road, and passed the man about 
seven times, always receiving the salute due to him ; 
then he went up to the man, and said, " Now 3''ou 
need take no further notice of me for the rest of the 
campaign." 

Friday, December ist. — We went with the Fitz- 
Geralds to see two houses built in the Egyptian style. 
The first belonged to a Count St. Moritz, a penniless 
Frenchman. He came here because he had no money, 
was taken a fancy to by Ismail, and made some, 
which he spent upon this really beautiful house. 
He picked up old ceilings, doors, tiles, etc., and has 
pieced them all in in a wonderful way. I never saw 



250 A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE [ch. iv 

anything more lovely than the drawing-room, where i 
highly decorated ceilings, stained windows, marble 
dados, a dome through which stream many coloured 
lights — all combine to make a sort of Arabian Nights 
effect ; and outside a court surrounded on three sides 
by the house, with picturesque carved staircases 
and galleries, and the walls a mass of decoration — old 
tiles let in, and a peculiar kind of work which has the , 
effect of carving in the material of the walls. All 
the doors leading into this court, and all through the 
house, being carved wood inlaid with ivory, have a 
richness and a beauty quite fairy-like ; of course the 
house ruined the owner, and he wants to sell it. The 
second house was the same sort of thing, but erred on 
the side of darkness. There is so much carving out- 
side the glass of the windows that very little light 
can come in. The stained glass is all in a very deep 
setting, and looks like jewels in the upper panes. 

My big dinner and drum came off, and were most 
successful ! We were twenty-seven at dinner, and 
250 after. The uniforms looked very gay, and, as 
people never do meet here, they found some pkasure 
in the mere assembling of themselves together. 

Tuesday, ^th. — Lord Charles Beresford has incited 
the officers to get up what he calls a Gym- 
khana — that is, a small race-meeting, and we 
went to see the various performances. There were 
donkey-races, which were spoilt by the enthusiasm of 
the Arab donkey-boys, who would rush frantically 
down the course urging on their animals with voice 
and stick ; there were running races, tandem races, 
and finally a " menagerie race," the runners being 
anything but the usual running animals. There were 
dogs, monkeys, turkeys, and several other birds, 
and a camel. The start was very amusing — and a 
dog won. The sand of the desert is rather trying on 
these occasions ; one comes home quite covered with it. 



i882] SIGHT SEEING 251 

Thursday, yth. — I went to see the Vice-Reine again. 
She is a very nice, but silent woman, and I should 
have found it hard to get through a long visit had it 
not been for Princess Mansour, the Khedive's sister, 
who was there. She talks the most fluent French, 
and is the only woman I have met, here or in Turkey, 
who has any tastes, or who seems to have any idea 
of life as apart from cigarettes, divans, Arab music 
if strictly kept, and French novels if more eman- 
cipated. She has a collection of antiquities, likes 
pictures, flowers, dogs, cares for the pretty arrange- 
ments of her house, etc., etc. She began by giving 
me a long account of the dangers they went through 
at the beginning of the war, and then went on to 
other subjects. I stayed an hour. 

After this we went to look at lawn- tennis on Sir E. 
Malet's ground, and in the evening to see Madame 
Favart at the Opera. We took Lord and Lady 
Alexander Kennedy with us. 

Friday, Sth. — ^The well-known " Mr. Cook " invited us 
to go an expedition, with a party of our friends. There 
were forty-two of us altogether. We met on board 
his steamer at 8 a.m., and started immediately ; he 
gave us a breakfast, and then we went on deck and 
looked about — ^but I will give you my ideas on Egyptian 
scenery another time. About 10.30 we landed near 
Memphis, and went on donkeys to Sakkarah. Happily 
it was a little cloudy, so that the ride was very 
amusing and pleasant, which would not have been 
the case had we had the sun pouring down upon us 
as we rode through the desert. We halted at 
" Marriette's " house, having ridden there in an hour 
and a half — sand, sand, everywhere, and yet he — 
Mariette, lived here a whole year digging. It is a 
good thing that tastes differ I We were first taken 
to the Serapeum. It is the place in which the 
sacred bulls were buried, and it is marvellous. You 



252 SIGHT SEEING [ch. iv 

find yourself in a great subterranean place consisting 
of a gallery, one a thousand feet long, with high arched 
roofs, and on either side small " rooms " almost filled 
by the enormous granite sarcophagi, each one of 
which held the body of a bull. There are about 
seventy in this place, and one's imagination stops 
short when one even begins to think how any one 
of these gigantic boxes can have been got into its 
place. They are so big as to leave very little room 
in the passage for any great number of men, and 
they weigh about eighty tons. Cook had candles all 
the way down the gallery, so we saw the great length 
very well. 

Next we visited the tomb of " Thi." Here the 
pictures on the walls are most interesting ; they are 
done in red, and are perfectly distinct — one sees 
Ancient Egypt there, doing just what Modern Egypt 
does now, using the same tools, and boats, carrying 
water in the same bottles, and walking in the same 
stately way with loads upon their heads. Mind and 
body were exhausted after this, and a very good 
lunch in Marriette's house was highly appreciated. m 

We then mounted our donkeys again, and w£nt 
over to the tomb of Onnas. This has only just been 
discovered, and the opening of it has been paid for 
by Cook. You descend a little way down a sliding 
plane into the earth, and then you find j^ourself in a 
room, the walls of which are entirely covered with 
hieroglyphics, very neatly cut, perfectly fresh-looking, 
and with a little colour still left upon them ; out of 
this was another room in which was Onnas' coffin 
— and this room was beautifully decorated, the 
walls being of alabaster with colour in beautiful 
patterns. The paint is scarcely destroyed at all, and 
the colour is really most artistic. Our minds having 
been opened wide by these sights, we rode our i 
donkeys to the river, and returned to our steamer. 



i882] HAREM VISITS 253 

I had a small donkey-boy who kept asking me at 
intervals during the day, " How do you like your 
donkey-boy ? " Of course I liked him immensely, 
and proved my regard substantially ; but he was a 
naughty little boy, and when he saw me safe on the 
steamer, he cleverly went to Arthur and said I had 
sent him for his " backsheesh " — and he got it too. 

Monday, nth. — ^We paid two harem visits to-day, 
one to Princess Hussein, and the other to Princess 
Mansour. Both these houses are prettily and com- 
fortably furnished, and look as though they were 
inhabited by reasonable beings. Both the ladies 
speak French well, and the visits were very pleasant. 
The only difference between their arrangements and 
our own, to a casual observer, is the presence of 
slaves. When I say " slave," I hope you don't picture 
to yourself a woolly negro in a scanty garment . One of 
those I saw yesterday was most beautifully dressed in 
white satin and silver, and sat in the room, though 
she accompanied me to the outer door when I left. 
The Princess Mansour's daughters were there, girls 
of thirteen and fourteen, who have already taken the 
yashmak. 

I don't think I have told you about the opera. 
The house is a pretty one, and we can go four times 
a week if we wish to. We have seen Girofle Giro/la, 
and Madame Favart. The company is not very good, 
and I am sure we shall get very tired of them, but 
it is very convenient, when one wants to be civil to 
any one, to ask them to go with us to our box. 

Tuesday, 12th. — ^The children arrived to-day, having 
had a splendid passage. They stopped at several 
places, and spent several hours at Smyrna. They 
are full of stories of the voyage. Freddie made great 
friends with a Turkish General, with whom he used 
to converse in French. Victoria found one gentle- 
man who conversed " interestingly," and another who 



254 BREAKFAST IN A HAREM [ch. iv 

was a " fuminate man " (effeminate), and Hermie 
described a little maid they had with them as " as- 
tonished at everything — even down to the chain 
which held the stopper in the wash-basin." When 
they saw us standing on the steps to receive them, 
they set up such shouts of joy that the soldiers 
and calm Orientals in the neighbourhood were filled 
with amazement. 

The garden was first inspected, and a boat on a 
very shallow pond gave great pleasure — and Victoria 
very soon found her way into the water ; and then 
came a tour of the house, and much satisfaction was 
expressed at everything. 

Monday, iSth. — ^We drove out to Abbasiyeh, where 
General Earle took us over the hospital — a much 
nicer one than that at the Citadel — and afterwards 
gave us tea in the palace in which he lives. There 
are such lovely satin brocades on the chairs — quite 
the prettiest I have seen here. We could see from 
a balcony the house where Arabi surrendered, and 
the line of march by which General Drury-Lowe came 
into Cairo. 

Tuesday, igth. — Nelly and I were invited to break- 
fast with the Princess Mansour. We had a long time 
to wait for breakfast, and I began to wonder whether 
I had mistaken the invitation. We sat by the 
Princess, who happily is very amusing, and talked for 
about an hour and a half, she smoking all the time, 
and then, when the breakfast was ready, she told me 
she was going to give it to us in the Turkish fashion. 
On our way into the dining-room we washed our 
fingers in silver basins, preparatory to eating with 
them. 

Lunch was laid on a very large silver tray, round 
which we sat on chairs, as she said the cushions were 
uncomfortable with our modern dresses. We had 
napkins with gold embroidery at either end, and we 



i882] BREAKFAST IN A HAREM 255 

began with soup. There was one blue velvet stand 
in the centre of the tray on which each dish was 
put in succession, and all round that were little 
plates of salad, sardines, foie-gras, etc. The first 
piece de resistance was a joint of mutton, and, after 
helping me with a knife and fork, the Princess neatly 
helped herself with her fingers ; it is not a very nice- 
looking process, even when well done, and of course all 
through the meal every one ought to dip about amongst 
the various dishes, and no one should require a change 
of plates and silver. Consequently the enormous 
number of dishes which appeared one after the other 
on the blue stand were far too many for me, who eat 
in a European way. I can't remember them all, but 
there came a dish of vegetables, then a fish, then a 
sort of Yorkshire pudding with meat in it, then 
ducks, then a sweet dish, then a turkey. Pilau, cold 
meat, etc., etc., etc., and more sweets. At the end, 
dessert, and a small bottle of champagne. When 
we left the room we washed our fingers again, and 
began once more to smoke and talk ; ices were brought, 
and then coffee. 

The Princess showed us her own room, and the way 
she writes with a Turkish pen, and her garden, gave 
us flowers, and told us much about her own ways. 
She is a very clever woman, and has a great sense of 
her own dignity. She keeps twenty white slaves, and 
twenty black, and two semi-slaves, that is to say, 
liberated slaves, who may sit in her presence, and eat 
at her table. The dress of all these slaves — and they 
dress very smartly — is arranged by her, and after 
eight years' service she provides them with a fortune, 
house, and husband, settles their disputes, divorces 
them if necessary, and provides them with new 
husbands if they become widows. Her baby of two 
years old was brought down and made to make its 
salaam, and then sent away because it would not 



256 EGYPTIAN LADIES [ch. iv 

talk. Two gigantic dogs were exhibited, and the 
two elder daughters sat there most of the time. 
They got up whenever their mother did, and the 
younger always rose when the elder did, though there 
is only a year between them. 

The Princess told me she arranged all her own 
dresses and cloaks, and that she wore a big hat, and 
then she went and dressed up in them to show me, 
and was very funny with her fan, which she uses 
when gentlemen look at her in her carriage ! I said 
I had been commissioned to ask whether she did not 
make an exception for an Ambassador ; but she said 
No, if it was very important business, she could see 
him, but with a curtain drawn between them or in 
the presence of the eunuchs, and with her yashmak 
on. The world says she does see people, though she 
is by way of being very strict. 

We were there from 1 1 to 2 .30, but were very much 
amused with her ; the children are to be invited 
some day. 

When I came home another Egyptian lady was 
announced, and I found it was the wife of one of 
the rebels, bringing a petition. There was a veiled 
lady with her, and an English woman to interpret. 
The two Egyptians were dreadfully afraid of being 
seen and I had to pull down my blinds, and several 
times when there was a noise at the door, they gave 
screams and covered up their faces, till I got quite 
nervous myself. The wife said, that when she married 
her husband, he had only a box of clothes of his 
own, and that all the property was hers, and so she 
begged that it might not be confiscated. She also 
wanted leave to see her husband before he left, as 
she is not going with him into exile. 

I still go up to the hospital every other day nearly. 
I think the general condition is better, but there are 
an endless number of cases. To-day a man there gave 



i882] TEL-EL-KEBIR 257 

me a most enthusiastic description of the chmate 
of Glasgow, as compared with the very inferior one 
of Egypt. 

Thursday, 21st. — We go on an expedition to Tel-el- 
Kebir ! We were a party of twenty-five, and we met 
very punctually at 7.30 a.m. at the station. We had 
over three hours in the train, and when we got to 
our destination we had breakfast in one of Mr. Cook's 
boats. We took down donkeys and horses with us, 
and immediately after breakfast we mounted our 
steeds. I had the very best donkey I ever saw, and 
was quite able to keep up with the horses. 

I had no idea of Tel-el-Kebir before seeing it, in 
spite of all the pictures and descriptions, and yet it 
seems a very easy thing to describe. 

Imagine an immense plain without a shrub or tree, 
or blade of grass on it, an ocean made of sand, but 
rather shingly sand, so that it is hard, and not un- 
pleasant to walk on. Then suppose you see, straight 
across a part of it, a bank with a ditch on either side 
of it, this bank being five miles long, and occasionally 
curving out into a little battery for two or three 
guns. These curves were full of Egyptian soldiers, 
and all along the five miles of ditch stood soldiers 
in single file, 28,000 altogether. This ditch, and these 
curves, are very small objects in the midst of the 
desert ; but the length is great, and the fact that 
all this was made last August is extraordinary. What 
a number of men must have been employed ! Though 
comparatively easy to climb into, it was of course 
less pleasant to fight your way up the bank, and we 
had only 11,000 troops engaged. What strikes the 
unmilitary mind is this : " Why should Arabi have 
chosen this spot on the desert rather than any other ? 
How should he know Sir Garnet would ever come 
near him there ? — or, if he did, which way he would 
come?" These questions can be answered, but it 



258 TEL-EL-KEBIR [ch. iv 

looks just as if you were to place a man-of-war 
somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, and take 
your chance of the enemy's coming near it. A great 
stretch of desert on every side is all one sees, but 
the canal and the railway had of course something to 
do with Arabi's choice of this place. 

The celebrated little battery which no one knew 
of, and which, by the most extraordinary good luck, 
our troops passed in safety, was the first place we 
visited, and then we went all along the lines and were 
pointed out the various points of interest, and we 
picked up shells and balls, and the officers explained 
everything to us, and the air of the desert was fresh 
and delightful. The ride home was very hot, but I 
liked it all very much. 

The night march must have been most exciting. 
Sir A. Alison told me it was most solemn ; he per- 
sonally enjoyed it, but the slow, monotonous tread of 
the men got on one General's nerves, and he turned 
to Sir Archibald and said, " For heaven's sake, alter 
the step or do something; this is dreadful," After 
the intense stillness came a sudden burst of sound, 
the roar of cannon, the shrieks of the men, and the 
flashes of light, and, as day dawned, the battle was 
at its height. To look at, — Tel-el- Kebir is a little 
ditch dividing a great barren field in two, and yet 
one comes away, after seeing it, with a much greater 
opinion of the feat we performed there than one ever 
had before. 

Having imbibed all sorts of thrilling and heroic 
ideas, we rode prosaically back to lunch on the 
dahabiyeh, and then returned to our train. On our 
way back we played games, and everybody was very 
merry ; but in the evening we were very tired after 
six hours' train, four hours' donkey ride, and two hours' 
meals, and getting to the stations 1 

Friday, 22nd. — I went to call on Princess Nazli and 



I 



i882] A WET DAY IN CAIRO 259 

was rather amused at being shown up into her bed- 
room, and still more so when I found the Alisons 
already there. Princess Fatma, the lady we saw 
partly married when we first arrived, came in while 
I was there. 

The children went to see Princess Mansour's little 
girls, and came home laden with the most magnifi- 
cent bon-bon boxes. The visit was a great success, 
and the Princess was delighted, because Freddy said 
" he did not like Egypt." She made many jokes, 
which were highly appreciated by her satellites, as 
to his peculiarity in this respect, implying that the 
English were rather too fond of it. 

Sunday, 24th. — In the afternoon I bethought me 
that I had never been to see the B.'s, who are living 
in a dahabiyeh ; it is their own, and they have spent 
twelve winters in it. I can imagine the pleasure 
of living in a yacht, however small, and this is very 
nice indeed as a yacht, but to pass one's time close 
up against a mud bank in one, I can't conceive. And 
this is what Mrs. B. does. Of course they generally go 
up the Nile and pass from one mud-bank to another, 
and he goes ashore and shoots, but she remains in 
her shell, and the sand and the flies and the mosquitoes 
come in upon her. I do think Egypt is far too much 
idealised in people's thoughts : "to spend a winter 
in Egypt " is always talked of with enthusiasm, but 
there is a great deal of prose in the reality I think, 
and Egypt in bad weather is truly dreary. A rich 
soil, which is easily turned into the thickest and most 
clinging of muds, palm-trees which should never be 
seen out of a brilliant sunshine, villages which melt 
in the rain, houses which let in the water, people 
who dress in white garments, and give one a cold to 
look at them, draggle-tailed roses, despondent orange- 
trees — such are to be seen in Cairo on a pouring wet 
day. 



26o CHRISTMAS DAY [ch. iv 

Christmas Day. — Yes — 'tis too true — a horrid, wet, 
cold, muddy Christmas Day. Church (the church 
let in water) under difficulties, its decorations even 
suffering from the depressing influences of such a 
day — one's dress suffering terribly from getting in 
and out of muddy carriages, and from the muddy 
aisle — and no possibility of exchanging Christmas 
greetings on the way home. The children kept up 
their spirits wonderfully, and were very happy giving 
presents. Unfortunately, the box containing ours 
had not arrived, so we could only tell them what is 
coming for them. When the rain ceased, I sent them 
out for a donkey ride, and I went to see Princess Nazli 
about an Oriental dress for Nelly (there is a fancy 
ball coming off). Princess Mansour was there, and 
was amusing as usual. She came to us later with a 
pile of things, and Nelly looked so pretty done up 
in a yashmak — the most becoming of veils. 

In the afternoon I went up to the hospital, and 
Nelly and I went round our friends there giving 
them cards, and wishing them a " Happy New 
Year," — a " Merry Christmas " was a mockery to 
them. 

Wednesday, 2'jth. — ^To-day there were Highland 
Sports in the Abdin Place. The Khedive looked on 
from a balcony, and invited me up there, but I 
thought it much pleasanter in my carriage. It was 
close to the games, and we were able to see everything 
very well. The tugs-of-war were most exciting, 
and the dancing very pretty. The day was fine, and 
lots of people were there. 

I was amused to find my friend the Princess Man- 
sour kicking over the traces ! She was in a carriage 
with Princess Nazli, and Sir A. Alison went up and 
spoke to the latter, and was introduced to the former ! 
a most fearful falling off from the strict seclusion in 
which she is by way of remaining. I heard after- 



i882] ANECDOTE OF LORD STRATFORD 261 

wards that she was immensely deHghted, and so 
excited about all the acquaintances she made. 

Friday y 2gth. — ^A race meeting. There were num- 
bers of people there, and it really was very bright 
and amusing. The gay Egyptian princesses were 
again there, and I wished D. had come, but he said 
he had too much to do, and he was in fact quite over- 
worked by the evening. I went and talked to them, 
and now they are full of looking on at the coming 
fancy ball. We are expected to go in " oriental " 
costume, but I am getting out of it by wearing a 
black gown and a big crescent of diamonds on my 
head, and calling myself the Turkish Crescent. 

A cricket and lawn- tennis club has been started, 
and we went to see the first games on Saturday. The 
officers have got some grass to grow, but I fear it 
will not last — for the moment it looks very nice. 
Pipers walked about playing on it, but there have 
been too many afternoon entertainments this week, 
and so there were not many people there. 

Mr. Lionel Moore dined with us. He was ten 
years with Lord Stratford at Constantinople, and 
when he is started on that subject he is most 
amusing. The Great Eltchi seems to have kept 
them all in a state of abject terror. He could only 
remember one instance in which some one stood up 
to him, and, as it ended in the Ambassador laughing 
heartily, I will tell it to you, though it requires 
some swearing. 

A wretched Attache had copied out a despatch 
seventy pages long, and when Lord Stratford was 
reading it over he came to an " i " undotted. He 
pointed angrily to the place, and got more and more 
furious as the Attache was unable to see his mistake. 

" D ■ your eyes, sir," he said, " don't you see itj? " 

" D your Excellency's ' i's,' " was the reply — 

and this did overcome Lord Stratford's wrath. He 



262 THE HOSPITAL [ch. iv 

used to shake his fist in their faces, and Mr. Moore 
looks upon him as such an awful being that he says 
now he can't believe he is dead. He told us how a 
rich Greek had ventured to vote for a Patriarch who 
was not Lord Stratford's candidate; so he watched 
for him in the street, and, walking up to the Greek, 
seized him by the throat, and, pushing him up against 
a wall, asked him why he had not voted as he (Lord 
Stratford) wished, and so frightened the man that 
he promised all that was required of him. 

Sunday, 315^. — I went up to the hospital. The 
nurse tells me the sick are coming in as fast as ever — 
but they all come from one place. It is in the desert, 
and supposed to be very healthy ; but it is very cold 
at night (the men sleep in tents), and very hot in 
the day, as there is no shade ; and, as the regiments 
there are gradually coming wholesale into hospital, 
I wonder they don't give up this camp. 



CHAPTER V 

ENTERTAINMENTS 

January is/, 1883. — ^The Khedive gave a sort of 
" school feast " at the school his sons attend, and 
we all went. It was rather a '* hugger-mugger " 
entertainment, the ground not being well kept, and 
people crushing in upon the performers. 

First we went into a fine tent, where the heir- 
apparent received us. He is a pretty little man 
(children don't look like children here, with their 
uniform coats and fezes) ; then we went all over the 
school, and one boy read an address to M. le Comte, 
and Madame la Comtesse ; but, as M, le Comte had not 
arrived, I had to bear the brunt of it. After this we 
returned to the tent, and saw some very feeble 
juggling, some very poor performing monkeys, and an 
equally poor tight -rope dancer, but we left her before 
she had performed her great feat, which was a very 
nasty one to see. She cut the throat of a lamb 
while on the rope, cooked bits of it, and, hacking out 
pieces, threw them about. Instead of this, we went 
to see some horses which were being shown off in 
the square, " Wild Arab horsemen " on them. I 
believe they were good, but there was not half enough 
room to move them about. The Khedive himself did 
not appear. 

In the evening there was the masked ball, with 
dental dresses. I don't think the masked part 
mused us very much, as we don't know people here 

ell enough ; but it was a pretty sight, and the men's 
18 263 



264 THE HOLY CARPET [ch. v. 

dresses were particularly handsome. Nelly looked 
very well in her Albanian dress, and my big crescent 
was most successful. I think the fact of the dresses 
being all oriental gave more unity to the spectacle 
and made it handsomer than when all sorts of dresses 
are mixed together ; and even the commonest Eastern 
dress is picturesque. 

Mr. Bland had a magnificent red-and-gold dress, 
and Arthur was lent something handsome ; but we 
don't know what it was supposed to be. 

We have no more evening gaieties in prospect just 
now, and I am glad of it. 

January 4th. — I have just returned from seeing 
the return of the Holy Carpet from Mecca. 

Sir E. Malet and Mr. Portal came to breakfast 
with us, and all our gentlemen were in their uniforms, 
looking very smart. The Khedive sent a victoria in 
which D. and Sir E. Malet went, attended by an 
escort and followed by their suites. Katie and 
Nelly and I went in our own carriage, and Miss S. 
and the children followed. We went to the Harem, 
and were received most graciously by the Vice- 
Reine. Even the " Princesse Mere " was civil to-day, 
and had enlarged the holes in the screen that we 
might see better. We looked down upon our hus- 
bands, and the state officials, and they formed a 
very magnificent group — red uniforms, dark blue and 
grey uniforms, with much gold embroidery, and some 
very beautifully dressed ecclesiastics in purple robes 
and white turbans. Beyond them was a great crowd 
of natives, and lines of white gendarmes, blue native 
soldiers, and here and there masses of our own well- 
known red. 

The Khedive's turn-out was really lovely, and the 
colouring of his procession, as it approached, was the ' 
prettiest thing I have ever seen. The advance guard 
had blue and gold richly embroidered jackets, loose 



1883] THE HOLY CARPET 265 

red trousers and red fez, the body guard have a 
blue uniform with red trimmings, and his carriage 
had four white horses ridden by postilHons in red 
and gold. Inside the carriage the Khedive, Prime 
Minister and suite, displayed a vast expanse of gold 
embroidery on their uniforms, and the red livery 
was repeated behind. 

When His Highness reached the afore-mentioned 
group of Magnificences, he shook hands with D. and 
others, and then retired to a throne which was under 
cover, but open to the front, and sat down between 
D. and Sir E. Malet, and in a stately row sat the 
sheiks in their beautiful clothes. When the pro- 
cession from Mecca came in sight the cannon fired, 
and all the bands began to play at once, and then one 
saw a camel with a tottering howdah on its back 
approaching, and, when near, one could see that it 
was all made of splendid embroidery. There were 
about six camels all " clothed." On the first sat a 
turbaned individual carrying a flag, on the second 
was a very fat man naked to the waist, with grey 
hair and beard, his head turning about in a state 
of ecstatic enthusiasm (so I suppose). He is said 
not to have eaten for forty days, and is extraordi- 
narily holy. After the camels came some travel- 
stained white soldiers. They marched four times 
round the square, and then approached the Khedive, 
who kissed the tassels of the howdah, and pressed 
them to his heart and forehead, as did the sheiks. 
As the procession passed on, we saw the people in 
the crowd rushing out to touch the howdah with their 
hands. 

When this procession left Cairo, Arabi was in the 
height of his popularity, and received an ovation 
from the people, who tore off his gloves to keep bits 
of them. 

Our children were somewhere with the young 



266 THE HOLY CARPET [ch. v 

Princes, and they say they got on very well and 
talked, but I am always alarmed when they are in 
an Eastern house, as the3i' have not the oriental calm 
of the smallest child here. Victoria says the Princes 
were rather hard to talk to, as they never began 
anything, and she felt the difficulties of continued 
effort. She inquired " if they were afraid of thunder 
and lightning," and they asked each other's names. 
On hearing those of the Princes, my children said, 
" How funny I " but on learning theirs, the Princes 
said, " How good 1 " 

I have been learning some particulars as to all we 
saw to-day. It appears that the Carpet is not there 
at all, and the howdah is supposed to cover the 
wife of the greatest sheik, but I think every one is 
very vague about it. The half-naked man is a mys- 
terious individual who has attended the Carpet- 
procession for fifteen years ; he always leaves Cairo 
with it, enters Mecca and leaves Mecca in its com- 
pany and re-enters Cairo ; but in the interval, and 
during the journey, he disappears, and it is not 
known where he lives, or how he gets to these places. 
The soldiers say he is very much thinner now than 
when he started. 

January 2gth. — ^A long interval has elapsed since I 
wrote anything, and I must just put down quickly 
what has happened ; it has not been a cheerful 
month for our Embassy anywhere . At Constantinople 
poor Mr. Sartoris died of typhoid fever, to the great 
grief of us all, and since then Mrs. Goschen, of whom 
I am very fond, has had a most terrible illness, was 
completely given over, and must still be in a very 
critical condition. 

Here, on the 7th, I retired to bed with a slight 
attack of typhoid fever, from which I have recovered, 
and am now getting up my strength. 

On the 9th Katie fell ill of the same. 



i883] TOURISTS 267 

A housemaid also got the fever, and Freddy had 
jaundice. D. was dreadfully busy, and it was all 
very hard upon him. To the rest of the household 
it was very dreary and miserable, I am told. There 
were, however, some gaieties going on. D. had to 
ask a good many people to dinner, and at these Nelly 
did the honours very nicely. 

Now we are very quiet. I take a little drive, but 
have not seen many people yet, and am not up to 
much exertion. 

February 4th to 12th. — ^There have been a great 
many tourists about and we have seen something of 
th-^m all. 

The Duke of Sutherland is staying with us, the 
Balds have been to dinner, theatre, tea, and drum. 
Lady Brassey has dined, and I took her to a harem. 
Mr. Chaplin came with the Duke, and always dined 
with us, and became a great favourite with every one. 
Mr. Maxwell, who stayed with us in Canada, is also 
here, and we see a good deal of him. Then there 
are stray people. Sir Arnold Kemball, Sir Henry 
Green, etc., and Lord Napier of Magdala is staying 
here, but is ill. 

We have had some strangers at dinner every day, 
and I must now try to tell you a little more in detail 
what we have done. 

Thursday we dined with the Alisons, the dinner 
being given for Lord Napier, but he could not come. 
I got very tired with this first outing, and so next 
day, as I was to have a dinner and drum myself, I 
stayed quiet, and borrowed a chaperon for Nelly to 
go to the races. She had a terrible fate there, for 
the Khedive put her in my place on a throne beside 
him on a dais, with no one else (which would have 
been trying even for me), and she could not escape 
for more than an hour, when D., coming up to speak 
to His Highness, she " bolted." 



268 EXPEDITIONS [ch. v 

We had 26 at dinner, and a drum of 120. The 
house looked very pretty, and the party was suc- 
cessful. 

Saturday, February loth. — ^We had a very amusing 
afternoon looking at the sports of the new Egyptian 
Army. The Khedive would not come lest they should 
not succeed 1 but every one else did, and the men got 
very excited over the tug-of-war, but they ran badly. 
There was a race with a big water jump, and I was 
surprised to see about fifty start, and also to see that 
they did not seem to mind how late they got off, 
or how far behind they were ; we heard afterwards 
that they thought every man would be paid. 

Monday, 12th. — Now that Mr. Hardinge has come 
to stay with us, we are doing more sight-seeing, 
and had such a nice day at the Pyramids. Three 
gentlemen rode, and the rest of us went in carriages, 
taking lunch with us. The children. Miss S., and 
Mr. Hardinge went up, and Miss S. nearly fainted 
on the way I but in spite of this, they all enjoyed 
it very much, and when they had had a good lunch 
they explored the inside of the Pyramid — and then 
rode on camels, and went to see the sights of the 
place, while I sat down and watched a wonderful feat 
being performed. 

An English lady went up the Pyramid entirely 
alone, by a route of her own choice, and in a riding 
habit too I She did it quite quickly and easily ; her 
brother tried to follow, but we had to send help to 
him. 

Wednesday, 14th. — ^We went to Heluan, an oasis 
in the desert, where we stayed with Greneral and Mrs. 
Arbuthnot, and where I presented the Tel-el-Kebir 
medals to the officers and men of the 19th Hussars. 
The " oasis " is not an ideal one. It is a great sandy 
plain, with a village of hideous square villas, and some 
sulphur baths which smell strong. It is very cold, 



1883] HELUAN 269 

and we shivered as we found our bedrooms all opened 
on to an open court. We arrived in time for lunch, 
and afterwards sat out till three, when the ceremony 
was to begin, and when such a horrid sand-storm 
came on that tents were blown down, and all the 
preparations had to be " counter-marched," so that 
our clothes, and not our eyes, should suffer. I handed 
out 400 medals as quickly as I could, and then D. 
made a nice little speech, and a little rain came on 
but cleared up directly everything was over. 

The Hussars' Christmas cake arrived this day, 
and I cut it open with a sword, but I shall never get 
over having not thought of giving the men a " drink " 
to go with it I We had a very nice dinner-party 
and games in the evening, and then, covered over 
with all the rugs and fur cloaks we could find, we 
managed to sleep comfortably. 

Thursday, isth. — ^We went round the camps on 
donkeys — the prettiest was that of the 7th Dragoon 
Guards — and then on by train to picnic in some 
caves. We had a mile to go in an artillery wagon, 
and then we had our lunch in an enormous cave. 
They are innumerable, and open one into the other. 
They are quarries from which the stones for the 
Pyramids were taken, and are very wonderful places. 
As I am not very good at clambering about just now, 
I did not explore much, but sat under a rock and 
enjoyed the sunshine, the desert air, and the view of 
the Pyramids. We kept the train waiting a quarter 
of an hour while we made tea, and then came home 
in it. 

Friday, 22,rd. — I sat over an almanack all the 
morning making out a programme of all that has to 
be done within the next few weeks. I am getting 
up three entertainments for charity, and the arrange- 
ments take time. First there is to be a charity ball 
for the poor of Alexandria, and I am going to have 



270 THE BOULAK MUSEUM [ch. v 

some theatricals at home for the same object. Then 
I have a garden fete for the church, which also gives 
a deal of trouble, as we are to have a number of 
amateur entertainments at it. 

Then there is a dinner to the Khedive, and a big 
drum, and we were going to give Nelly a dance ; but 
the floors of our house won't stand it 1 

In the afternoon I drove, and we had a few people at 
dinner, amongst them " Brugsch Bey," the Savant. 

Saturday, ijth. — Even aided by Nelly and Katie 
I spent a good three hours in writing invitations for 
a big drum next Friday. I meant to have this the 
end of all things, but thought that by having it first, 
and by asking every one, I might help my charities I 
(that's diplomacy). 

In the afternoon there was the end of a great lawn 
tennis tournament which ended in our Embassy 
beating (by implication) the whole of the Army. 
The FitzGeralds and a Canadian traveller dined and 
we went to the opera. 

Sunday, iSth. — ^This afternoon we went to the 
Boulak Museum, and made the personal acquaintance 
of many defunct kings and queens. 

It is a most interesting collection, and there is- a 
wooden statue — thousands of years old, with much 
expression in its face. The eyes are wonderfully done, 
'and look like the best glass. One visit is not enough, 
and, as Murray and Baedeker would find me out if I 
made any mistakes, I will not attempt to tell you 
who anybody was, to wit — a husband and wife 
sitting side by side, lately extracted from some 
tomb, she in a pure white garment, he with his clothes 
more highly coloured, both looking so new, and with 
such life-like expressions in their faces. Then a 
queen-mummy, with an infant princess at her feet, 
she having died in child-birth, golden jewellery, and 
of course hieroglyphics, sphinx, and the usual Egyp- 



i883l PREPARATIONS FOR A CHARITY BALL 271 

tian curiosities to any amount. We were shown every 
thing by Brugsch Bey, Hermie was much struck with 
him, and with his accounts of how he found out this 
and that, and said to me she thought he would have 
made an excellent detective. The Nubar Pashas 
dined with us. 

Monday, igth. — Consulted Nowell about ball supper 
(charity ball, got up by me for sufferers at Alexandria), 
and about supplies for the tea at the garden f^te in aid 
of church fund. Wrote notes and letters till twelve, 
when Mrs. B. came by appointment, principally about 
last-named entertainment. More writing till lunch. 

At three, drove to Ismailia Palace, and saw the 
Vice-Reine to ask her to look on at the ball from her 
box, and to ask the other harems to take boxes, as 
we propose to arrange the whole of the grand tier 
for them, with lace curtains in front. 

Home for tea, when General Earle came in after play- 
ing lawn-tennis with D. Then Colonel Grenfell came 
about putting up my stage. Sir E. Malet followed 
with M. Sinadino and M. Ornstein (the ball 
working-committee), and we went into every sort 
of detail as to decorations, supper, tickets, prices, 
etc. These were all there together, and all wanted 
advice or sympathy, or at least my attention. They 
only left at a quarter to seven, and we had people to 
dine at seven in order to go to a benefit at the theatre, 
so I dressed at my usual speed, dined, and then went 
to the opera till ten, when Nelly came for me to drag 
me to a dance. I had promised to let her stay for 
the cotillion, and so I did not get home till a quarter 
to three this morning. 

Tuesday, 20th, — I have " passed the list of lady 
patronesses," signed all the letters asking for their 
patronage, written to Madame Martino Bey to come 
and see me about the harem boxes ; to Lady Alison 
to ask her to get up a reel of twelve couples ; to 



272 THE CAIRO BAZAAR [ch. v. 

Madame della Sala to ask her to choose bows for the 
stewards and patronesses ; to Sir Edward Malet about 
programmes, champagne cup, state quadrille, and gas, 
and it is mail day to boot ! 

Another thing that takes a little time is, a sale 
of Turkish work. I have sold a hundred-pounds* 
worth here, and I have to write orders, and make 
out bills, and receive and send the money, which 
all entails writing. I expect to be worn to a thread 
these next three weeks, and then I must try to rest. 
The Duke of Sutherland left us to-day. 

After lunch we rode on donkeys to the bazaars. 
Does it not sound a little primitive for the English 
Ambassadress to be able to ride through the best 
streets of Cairo in the afternoon on a donkey? 

Our visit was to the " gold and silver bazaar," and 
we bought several things after much bargaining, 
and then had it proved to us that we had paid the 
man well, by his presenting four of us with a bracelet 
each as " backsheesh." 

He was asleep when we reached his shop, so we 
woke him up, and in the middle of our transactions 
he got up, produced basin and water, and washed 
his face to awake himself more thoroughly, and then 
proceeded to business. He also gave us all coffee. 
I had not realised the fatigue of a donkey ride, and 
was dreadfully tired when I got in, and scarcely 
up to the number of visitors who came, especially as 
they came uncomfortably, ladies who don't speak to 
each other arriving together. I also had two on 
business. The Earles and Villiers Stuart dined, and 
went on to the opera with D. 

Wednesday, 21st. — ^The medals were given to the 
regiment of Cameron Highlanders, and the officers 
asked us to lunch. D. afterwards went to see the 
New Army drilled, and he dined with the 60th ; so he 
had a very military day. 



1883] THE CHARITY BALL 273 

All my time is taken up with my ball, thanking 
for money, and sending tickets. The Khedive sent 
me ;^ioo, his grandmother ;^ioo, and an Alexandria 
merchant ;^ioo ; then I have had twenties, thirties, 
and forties from different people. 

I also have on hand some rehearsals, and many 
other things, people to dine nearly every night, etc., 
and so my journal has collapsed ; but to-day, March 5th, 
I will try and pick up a few of the threads, but instead 
of doing it by days, I will do it by subjects. 

The ball which took place the ist of March is the 
first. 

History of the Great Charity Ball 

One morning, at breakfast, D. said, " I think we 
ought to do something for Alexandria ; get up a 
charity ball, for instance." 

Says I, '* Do you really mean it ? fbr if you do — I'll 
undertake it." 

He replied in the affirmative, so I began the propa- 
ganda. People here are awfully afraid of not being 
select, and tremble at the idea of being in the room 
with the un-smart ; so I had to take them gently. 
But by making all the most fearful of them lady 
patronesses, and by endowing them with tickets to 
be disposed of, I gradually led them up to the idea of 
admitting the second class Cairo-enes, and, in their 
desire to sell, they soon came round to my views. 
We met, became enthusiastic, and arranged to 
decorate ourselves with " Grands Cordons " on the 
occasion — this idea gave great delight. 

Then, for days and days, I wrote and wrote note after 
note, principally thanking for money received. I 
never asked any one to take a ticket, and I have been 
sent over ;£900 in cash. 

The great day came at last. Everything had been 



274 THE CHARITY BALL [ch. v 

arranged by two gentlemen, a M. Ornstein and a 
M. Sinadino — the latter full of tact, and a wonderful 
organiser. These two qualities of his made the bail 
a success ; the first gave it a private house character, 
and the second made every arrangement go smoothly. 
The theatre is a very pretty one, and that night it 
looked lovely. The pit and the stage were all thrown 
into one, the stage became a very large garden, with 
walks and kiosk (for the bands), and refreshment 
places, and a fountain of real water lighted with 
electric lights. The Khedive's box had the front 
taken out of it, and a dais projected from it, so that 
he could walk in and out, and have people to sit 
there. 

All the lower boxes were open, and served as seats 
in the ballroom, but, being raised, people saw very 
well from them, and were themselves most ornamental. 
The next row of boxes were veiled with white muslin 
curtains, behind which the harems sat, and one 
could see holes being torn in the curtains, and faces 
peeping out from the sides. 

Above these came ordinary spectators, and in 
the gallery our British soldier in red, an invited guest, 
looked very well, and finished the effect right up to 
the roof. The uniforms (kilts especially), the ladies' 
dresses, the bright-coloured sashes of the patronesses, 
the scarves of the young ladies who were to dance the 
reel, made the floor a pretty sight. 

I received the Khedive, and kindly " excused " 
his dancing with me, and condescended to his cousin 
Prince Osman instead, and I went through a Lancers 
with Sir E. Malet, and that was the end of my dancing ; 
but I looked after Nelly, who looked very nice, and 
who wore a beautiful silk scarf — ^for she danced the 
reel — and I went up to the harem boxes, and visited 
several. The Vice-Reine was much amused, and 
looked so fat and comfortable and good-natured, 



1883] THE CHARITY BALL 275 

that I ought not afterwards to have felt odd when I 
talked to the Khedive, and knew her eye was upon 
me ; but it has a curious effect to talk to a man with 
his wife peeping through a curtain at you, and natur- 
ally thinking (as all these shut-up ladies do), that the 
very fact is extraordinary ! 

One band played for dancing, and another played 
between, and a third played in the supper-room. 
That supper, too, was beautiful 1 I am grieved to say 
we were cheated over that — ^it was all given to us, 
and I decreed that we should charge ten francs a 
head for it, light refreshments being gratis. Well, 
400 people took supper tickets, and 1,000 people 
supped ! still it made £100, and there was no dis- 
cussion or fuss, and it helped to add to the good- 
humour and the general success of the ball. The 
reel of twelve couples was greatly appreciated, and 
the natives tried to encore it ! It was very pretty, 
and I looked on at it from the Khedive's dais, and had 
the pleasure of seeing that he acknowledged all his 
errors with regard to this ball. He had always said 
we should get money, but that no one would go to it ! 
I believe we shall be able to pay ;£2,ooo to the charity. 

We dined with Cherif Pasha (the Prime Minister). 
He gave me pleasure by a most delicate attention ; 
at my place there was my name on a card, in 
the corner of which was a lovely little drawing of 
our house at Therapia ! was that not nice of him ? 
But oh ! we were cold 1 I rubbed my hands under 
the table to warm them, and suppressed my shivers, 
and felt thankful that my fever was over. You 
may imagine how D. felt ! We drank to Queen and 
Khedive, and got away early, and, once home, sat on 
the hob, and had jorums of hot sal-volatile. 

Another thing that takes my time is the arrange- 
ment of a garden f^te for the church — but I have now 
put it off for a week — and the preparation of some 



276 THE BALL ACCOUNTS [ch. v 

theatricals. It is very hard to get in rehearsals at 
all here ; there is always something to prevent some- 
body's coming, and the stage is unfinished, so that 
one does not know what space one has to use. How- 
ever, now the Khedive is invited to come, and they 
must be got ready. 

In the way of tourists and visitors, Hugh Graham 
came with another engineer to see about a new canal ; 
but the route they proposed to take was declared 
dangerous, and so they had to give it up. Then Lord 
Alfred Paget, Captain and Mrs. Paget, Mr. Oliphant, 
Lord Napier of Magdala, etc., etc., are here, and they 
all dine with us ; so that lately we have never been 
less than twelve, and the cook is grumbling. 

Monday, March $th. — I asked all the patronesses of 
the ball to tea, so that we might settle the accounts, 
and see how much we had made. 

You may imagine my surprise and pleasure when 
the sum was announced — ^£2,750 sterling. We shall 
be able to send ^{^2,350 to the charity, after every 
expense is paid. 

I think it is perfectly wonderful to produce such a 
sum in this small place. 

The mother of Ismail (the poor old paratysed Prin- 
cess) sent me some Egyptian stuff, and two lovely 
coffee cups set in diamonds. I had to return the 
latter, and I hope the poor old lady will understand 
that I was obliged to do so ; it is a difficult idea for 
the oriental mind to digest. I have, however, got 
one present from a lady who was a friend of D.'s 
mother, and who has given me an ornament of her 
own, with her portrait at the back. She has no 
political relations, and, as she would have been terribly 
hurt had it been refused, I was permitted to take it 
— and you shall see it some day 1 

Thursday, Sth. — I paid my visit with the children 
to Princess Hassan ; mine were delighted with hers, 



1883] THE KHEDIVE'S GRANDMOTHER 277 

" they are so nice and rompy " — and they are all to 
come to tea here on Saturday. The Princess has 
lived like a widow during her husband's absence, and 
is more shut up than most Egyptian ladies. Lord 
de Grey and the Arbuthnots dined with us, and we 
went to see Boccaccio at the theatre. 

We had our play last night. Two short pieces, 
one of them written b}?" Sir E. Malet. He and I acted 
it. There were 160 people at it and the Khedive. 
There was a guard of honour of 100 Highlanders 
for him, and a band, and D. said that our steps, with 
all these people on them, made a beautiful sight. The 
Khedive was immensely delighted with everything, 
and enjoyed his outing thoroughly. He assured me, 
with beaming face, that it was so " chose," and that 
he felt " chose," and his " choses " came in so con- 
tinually that I was only able to make out the point 
of all he said, which was that he was very pleased. 
I send you a programme. 

In the afternoon I went to see his grandmother, 
Ismail's mother — a dear old lady with charming 
manners. She is paralysed, and is very unhappy of 
course, having lost son and fortune and position 
entirely. She lives in a gigantic palace, occupying 
two rooms in it, and has not been out of the doors 
for four years. She seemed very pleased to see me. 
I suppose no one pays her any attention now, and 
when her son was Khedive her position was the 
highest in the land. She said she would come and 
see me were she able — and the Princess Mansour, 
who was translating, said, " Why, she's more civilised 
than I." 

Friday, i6th. — Much preparation for garden fete 
to-morrow, and a ball at the Citadel. How nice a 
rest on the Nile will be 1 

Saturday, lyth, — ^The day of my garden fete in aid 
of the church funds. The moment I got up I looked 



278 GARDEN FETE [ch. v 

out of my windows, and saw a lovely sunshiny day ; 
the garden looking most fair-like, with its tents, 
marquees, and placards. 

At the far end of it there is a grotto in which a 
real live general sat all day dressed up as a hermit, 
with a small table and a pack of cards before him, 
telling fortunes. On the top of this cave was a lady 
with a weighing machine, and a very prettily arranged 
tent, in which a girl, in an Egyptian costume, sold 
various things, and just below (belonging to the 
same party), was a tent, containing the " Rhoda 
Mystery." This was on the same principle as the 
" Sphinx," and looked like a detached head. The 
face was pretty, and this entertainment was most 
successful. I am going to tell you all the entertain- 
ments provided first, and then how each went off. 
The next thing was an island, on which Sir Edward 
Malet had a mystery ! He professed to show you 
the person you love best, and when you put your 
face into a hole, you saw yourself in a glass opposite, 
in some unusual costume perhaps as a Highlander, or 
a ballet dancer. On either side of the pond were 
two splendid marquees, the one a refreshment tent, 
the other a post office, and a voting place. For the 
post office, we had written lots of little rhymes for 
different people. Then I gave two prizes, the one for 
a lady, the other for a gentleman, it being decided by 
vote who was to have them . The vote cost half a franc, 
and we made £38 by this 1 Then we had a stall and 
a fish-pond, a photographing machine, and a camel 
to ride, and a living Aunt Sally to aim at, and tea to 
be had, and a Kiosk had been put up, in which there 
was a little model electric railway ! 

The entrance was three francs, and each enter- 
tainment was one franc, and we made over ;S390 ! 
The people began to come at three, and stayed till 
seven, and every one was delighted. 



I 



1883] THE COPTIC CATHEDRAL 279 

Two harem carriages came with Princess Said and 
Princess Mansour in them, and they were tempted to get 
out, and were especially delighted with the " Rhoda 
Mystery." Princess Said told D. that, if the Khedive 
was displeased at their getting out, he must take all 
the blame. 

Every one is so astonished at the money I have 
extracted from Cairo. I am getting quite a reputa- 
tion as a " lucky-hand." The Khedive's little boys 
came, and showered about sovereigns. 

Sunday, 18th. — Of course, as this was a last day at 
Cairo, we wanted to do some sight-seeing, and I asked 
R. Bey to take us to see some old Coptic churches. 
He did us in the most shameful way, and we lost our 
afternoon, he employing it to his own glorification. 

But what happened was rather funny, and most 
extraordinary. In the carriage he mentioned inci- 
dentally that we were going to see the New Coptic 
Cathedral, and that he had let the Patriarch know. 
As we approached it, the bells began to ring, but in 
my humility it never struck me it was for me. How- 
ever, when I got to the door of the church I saw the 
aisle lined by the choir holding lighted tapers, and 
a priest in full canonicals inviting me in. 

Taking all my sang-froid in my hands, I marched 
slowly up the church between the boys, who chanted 
on either side of me, till I came to some sofas and arm- 
chairs placed for me in front of the screen which 
divides what we should call the altar from the body 
of the church. Here we sat, and the nasal singing 
went on and on, and I was told that the first was a 
psalm and the second a hymn in honour of Queen 
Victoria. 

When I suggested leaving, I was told the priest would 

make a little address, which he did ; he had a curious 

face, with a very amused expression of countenance, 

and at the end of his sermon he requested that I 

19 



28o THE COPTIC PATRIARCH [ch. v 

might be told what he had said. He began by men- 
tioning that sin had come into the world by a woman, 
but that, in compensation for this, another woman had 
been created to be the Mother of our Lord. He then 
gave a list of several virtuous women, ending with 
Queen Victoria, for whom he prayed. The choir 
sang a very out-of-tune " Amen," and he went on 
again, and got to her representatives, and I heard 
the name of " Dufferin " two or three times before he 
ended. 

My procession formed again and, as I marched 
down the church, the congregation said, " God save 
the Queen." 

Then I had to go and see the Patriarch, and sat in 
solemn state by him, the others seated all round the 
room, and sweet stuff and cigars were handed — and 
he gave me two little horn things which are supposed 
to be a charm against poison. 

After this we did some mosques, but not very inter- 
esting ones, and then home 1 

D. was much displeased with R. Bey for having got 
up this Coptic demonstration, as it might be supposed 
to have some political meaning. He has ordered him 
to be told of his displeasure. 

A few people came in in the afternoon to say good- 
bye to me, as we start up the Nile to-morrow. 

Our Journey up the Nile 

Monday, igth. — Our steamer started last Thursday, 
and we go by train to Assiout, where we meet her. 

Our party consists of D. and I, with Miss S,, Hallie 
and the children, Mr. Bland, Mr. Macfarren, Mr. 
Moore (as interpreter), and Miss Colvin, who is a 
very pretty, nice, merry girl, Sir Auckland Colvin 's 
eldest daughter. 

We had a saloon carriage, and the day was cool 



1 



1883] THE NILE 281 

and very moderately dusty, and the children were 
as good as gold, and we had luncheon and tea in the 
train, which divided the time, and it passed pleasantly. 
Towards evening the scenery got quite pretty, and 
the lights on the stony hills lovely — and I saw palm- 
trees to perfection. They no longer rose from sandy 
ground in a dull monotony of colouring, but there 
were groves of them with bright green at their feet, 
and beautiful small bushy ones breaking the line of 
their usually unbroken trunks, and they had an air 
of luxuriance, which about Cairo they so sadly want. 
Then we saw a glimpse of the " Corvee " — the people 
at their forced labour, and lightly clad children 
at the stations, and buffaloes, camels, and " baby- 
donkeys " in the fields, which were a perpetual source 
of interest to the children ; and at seven we reached 
Assiout. There we all mounted donkeys, and felt as 
if we were a very picturesque group, as, surrounded 
by Arabs, we wended our way in the twilight, to our 
steamer. 

Such a grand steamer 1 On deck a fine dining- 
room, and above it a large place to sit by day — and 
the most charming cabins below. Freddy was wild 
with delight at having a cabin to himself, and im- 
mediately appropriated the key — and wished he could 
live for ever on board, or that he might take the 
cabin to Pera — and at dinner he held forth a great 
deal in his excitement, making us all laugh. We 
sat out a little while in the moonlight, but, being tired, 
went very early to bed. 

Tuesday, 20th. — Such a lovely day 1 bright and 
bracing. We all wear jackets, and at night it is cold. 

How am I to attempt the scenery ? There are palms 
and mud villages ; there are high, flat-topped ridges 
of stone, made pretty by shadows and lights upon 
them ; there are green fields, and stretches of sand, 
and every now and then we look as if we were going 



282 THE NILE [ch. v 

straight ashore, and then we just manage to edge off 
again ; and when a few dahabiyehs are in sight, their 
big sails give great variety and Hfe to the landscape. 
There is Httle to tell, as we pass all the day sitting 
on deck, writing, reading, or working ; the children 
play draughts with different people — and we all 
enjoy ourselves lazily. Most people are to be seen 
beginning the day with a Murray, or a deep work on 
Egyptology, but they are soon seen to fall back upon 
a novel. Our meals are excellent, and the dinner- 
bell is always a joyful sound, for we have got very 
hungry. The Khedive was so robbed when we lived 
in his house (;,^i,200 for ten days), that we had this 
steamer put into the hands of " Cook," and he has 
arranged everything. In the evening the light 
became perfectly beautiful, and I saw for the first 
time that glow of absolute colour on the hills which 
in pictures looks so impossible. 

Apart from scenery, the working of the " shadoof " 
all along the banks of the Nile is interesting to look 
at. The shadoof is a series of levers, each one 
raising a bucket of water to the level of the fields 
above, and what one sees is, four or five bronze 
figures with a bit of dark blue or white rag bound 
round* them, working in tiers one above another, 
dipping the long, slanting pole into the water, and 
raising with it a little pot of water which is emptied 
as it comes up ; at the end of each pole is a heavy 
lump of clay, which enables them to work it easily 
— there is something ancient and uncivilised and 
melancholy in the sight of these human beings spend- 
ing their lives in this dreary -looking work. 

Then we pass many villages, and, if your mind is 
innocent and unsophisticated, you think that the 
picturesque ruins of an old castle are before you ; 
but, as you approach, the imaginary fortress dissolves 
into the most squalid of mud villages. Its square 



1883] THE NILE 283 

towers are built for pigeons, and its broken-down walls 
are really the habitations of the fellah. It is all one 
colour and this saves it, for even when you have 
thoroughly looked into it, and have even observed 
the funniest little round oven-kind of places as form- 
ing part of its architecture, you can't help taking it 
as a whole, and with a sort of mental reservation you 
still feel that it is an ancient Keep. 

In the evening we sat for some time in the moon- 
light, listening to a few of Mr. Moore's dramatically 
told stories of old days at Constantinople, and of 
" that man who moved in the icy circle of his own 
pride," * feared by everybody — and then we went 
down to the saloon, and were sung to by Miss Colvin 
and Mr. Bland. 

Wednesday, 21st. — It is still cool, strange to say ! 
By cool, I mean perfectly delightful weather. We 
stop at night and go on at dawn. The only excite- 
ment on the way was that our awning got on fire, 
and had to be taken down just in the heat of the 
day, so we had to retire to a small shady corner 
where we had not much view ; but in the evening 
we were able to come out of it and watch our arrival 
at Luxor. 

Luxor is not much to look at from the river. As 
we passed along we were saluted by the various 
Consulates, and as soon as we anchored several people 
came on board. Our own Consul, " Mustapha Aga," 
is a very old, dark-coloured man, and he invited us to 
an entertainment in the evening ; so after dinner, 
at which Freddie again in the wildest spirits kept up 
the chief part of the conversation, we went ashore, 
and walked up to Mustapha's house, which desecrates 
an ancient temple — ^it is built in between the pillars 
which form a colonnade, and on this occasion it had 
a gimcrack arch in our honour erected in front of it. 

^ Lord Stratford de RedcliflEe. 



284 LUXOR [CH. V 

We found Arab music and dancing-girls awaiting us. 
The latter were ugly women dressed in loose gowns, 
short waists, and round-balloon skirts, with many 
ornaments hanging from neck and waist. Their 
dancing is very peculiar. It is neither pretty nor 
graceful, but anatomically speaking it is most 
curious, and how they manage the convulsions which 
they exhibit is more than I can imagine. Their 
gowns move in every direction, all the ornaments 
jingle, while their feet remain still, and one moment 
you think a thigh must be out of joint, then you ask 
yourself if it was a knee, or if it was only a gigantic 
sob that so agitated their garments ; they stand still, 
and, trembling in every muscle, seem to sink into the 
earth, then up again, and more jerks and throbs pro- 
ceed from every part of these mysterious anatomies. 

One girl performed the whole dance with a bottle 
of water on her head, and finished off by lying down 
on the floor and rolling the whole length of the room, 
still keeping the bottle steadily in its place on her 
head. Many more were waiting to show off, but we 
left early, being tired, and knowing that we should 
see nothing new. Our orders to-night are for an early 
start to-morrow, and breakfast at seven. 

Thursday, 22nd. — Our cabins being all together, 
one is let into many confidences of a morning, dis- 
cussions as to whose turn it is to enjoy the one 
bath, inquiries for missing garments, Victoria's voice 
singing " Wake, puppies wake," etc., and so, when 
we do meet at breakfast, we feel that it is not as 
strangers we come together. 

The breakfast is a light one, and, directly it is over 
we all mount donkeys, endless donkey-boys and guides 
in turbans and light garments following us, telling us 
our special donkey is " glorious," " magnanimous," 
" exquisite," "goes like a steamboat," and so on to 
Karnak. 



1S83] LUXOR .285 

I had looked at many books to try and get some 
idea of Karnak, but all the descriptions have been 
so overladen with historical digressions, that I really 
had no idea at all as to what is really left ; so I will 
try to tell you what I have seen without any allusion 
to history, nor will I burden your mind with dates 
or dynasties, nor unsettle your conviction as to the 
creation of the world having been in 4004. 

Amidst the square, mud-coloured cabins of an 
Egyptian village, we came upon an avenue of pillars, 
a bit of a wall covered with hieroglyphics, the heads 
of two gigantic buried figures, and an obelisk — and, 
passing them, we rode for half an hour, sometimes on 
an unshaded road, and sometimes through a grove 
of palm-trees, till we came to the great gateway of 
the Temple of Karnak. There are the broken re- 
mains of many sphinxes, sufficient to show the direc- 
tion of the avenue of them which once stood there 
in solemn grandeur, and then, turning through the 
magnificent portal, we found ourselves in an open 
court ; bits of walls and pillars covered with carvings 
stood about, but all too much in ruins to show the 
plan of the building ; through this, we walked into 
the most splendid Hall of Columns. There are, I 
believe, 134 gigantic pillars, close together, rows and 
rows of them, traced all over with hieroglyphics, as 
clear as the day they were cut, and with traces of 
colour on them still. Those on the stone rafters 
above, being less exposed to the sun, are quite 
bright. The size of all this, and the beauty of it, 
exceed one's wildest imaginations, and when you 
look out from this place, and see the two beautiful 
obelisks rising among the ruins, and on every side 
more rows of enormous stone figures, and find that 
every bit of wall and every stone is covered with 
writing, and that there were three of those great 
avenues of sphinxes leading to the different gates, 



286 KARNAK [ch. v 

one is bewildered with ideas too big for one, and I 
feel that it would take weeks, and not hours, to digest 
it all. How very, very small, in comparison, is the 
very grandest temple we should even conceive of 
building in these times I Certainly one does come 
away from these monuments saying, " There were 
giants in those days." 

We rode home through ground covered with figures, 
sitting, tumbling down, half buried, headless, or foot- 
less, but showing the immense space of ground 
covered by these buildings. 

The afternoon. — I don't think one knows what 
bigness means until one comes here. I have just 
seen the great statues of Amenhotep III, called the 
" Colossi," sitting in their majestic grandeur, the 
hills behind them only serving to show the greatness 
of their size. One stands by them looking at them 
in amazement, and wishes that nobody would speak ! 
No account of these figures ever gave me the faintest 
idea of their enormous size — one seems to enter upon 
a new order of ideas altogether, when one realises 
that men ever could have created such works. There 
they are, the faces destroyed, and yet the whole 
vision so grand, and so full of dignity and repose, 
that one does not miss the features which should 
give expression, and cannot imagine that anything 
could enhance the impression they create — it is 
simply one of awe and reverent admiration. 

Then we went on to the Ramesseum, where the 
remains of a still larger figure lie, its head in the 
sand, with all the features perfect except the nose — 
and very beautiful it is. The drawings on the walls 
and columns here are particularly interesting, and 
one is beginning to take quite an affectionate interest 
in Rameses II ; in another week we shall know him 
really well. 

These grand ideas are mixed up with the conver- 




KARNAK. 

From stereograph copj'right by Underwood & Underwood, New York. 



286] 



1883] THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS 287 

sation of the donkey-boys, and all the incidents of 
donkey-riding, which we all enjoy very much. 

Friday, 2^rd. — ^We made a long expedition, and 
remained out all day. We breakfasted at seven, 
and set off directly after for the Tombs of the Kings . 
Our road lay first through a sandy plain, then over 
green fields, and then through the mountains, the 
yellow sandstone hills all round us, and a bright blue 
sky above. 

There are thirty-five tombs, but we thought two 
or three would be enough to visit, and I am sure it 
will satisfy you if I give you an idea of one of them. 
That one is No. 17, the tomb of Seti I. 

We descended a long way, down stairs and slanting 
paths, the walls of the passages being covered with 
hieroglyphics, into a court supported by pillars and 
elaborately decorated ; still lower we went into a 
vaulted chamber, where the drawings on walls and 
ceilings were most interesting, as was the room with 
a shelf all round it, on which the mummified remains 
of the household of the king were placed. The 
magnesium light enables one to see everything quite 
plainly ; but it is so impossible to give the slightest 
idea of the acres of drawings one sees that it is 
useless to try ; there was one room in which the 
designs had been drawn, but they had never been 
carved, and so one sees the hieroglyphics in their 
first process. We went through three more tombs, 
and then retired to another, where we found a 
splendid lunch laid out for us and where we remained 
till the day was cool. Then we started on our 
return journey, and looked at the Temple of Gurnah 
as we passed it. The wall-pictures there are much 
defaced, and, after the other things we have seen, 
it is not so interesting. 

All the time we were out we were followed by little 
girls of about ten, carrying water-bottles on their 



288 NATIVE CHILDREN [ch. v 

heads — they are such pretty figures, their loose blue 
dress reaching to the ground, a veil or shawl flowing 
from the back of the head, long loose sleeves with a 
brown arm coming out, and gracefully supporting the 
bottle. They all speak a little English, and each 
one attached herself to a particular person saying, 
" Me, Fatma, stand by you, good lady, nice lady " ; 
two of them had a fight for me, but I was faithful to 
the original " Fatma," and so, when we all parted, 
" Fatma " kissed my hand in return for a coin 
secretly given in excess of the regulation two piastres, 
while the rival " Maria " would not even look at me. 
You have no idea what beautiful colours in skin one 
sees here, especially at the shadoof, where little cloth- 
ing can be worn. It makes one very doubtful as to 
whether white is really the superior tint for the human 
race — there is a brown approaching black, with a 
purple hue in it, which, with a bit of blue cotton to 
show it off, is beautiful ; then there are many shades 
of a golden brown, and the children (who mostly 
run about without a stitch on) are simply " dark- 
coloured " — a light brown. Last night I saw an 
infant on a sand-heap all by itself, looking too small 
to be alone, or even to sit up ; but there it was, clothed 
in its necklace, smiling as happily as possible. I 
noticed that when some one admired the little water- 
carrier's arm, she immediately drew her sleeve across, 
so as to hide a great part of it, a modesty one would 
scarcely expect at ten years old. 

Saturday, 24ih. — ^We remained quietly on board all 
the morning, and at three we started off as usual, a 
great cavalcade on donkeys, to see the tomb which 
D. found when last here, and some diggings which 
he is making now. I think I have not yet told you 
about this — but it is a great excitement, and he goes 
off to look at it at every spare moment, and there 
is a mummy now to be examined which was found 



i883l PRINCESS HATASU 289 

last night. The children are greatly bitten with the 
idea, and are longing to dig themselves, besides collect- 
ing curiosities which are given them on every side. 
The only rivals to the antiquities are the " baby 
donkeys," infant sparrows, and young bats, which 
they are perpetually finding, and I hear one moment 
a shriek of delight over some hieroglyphic or picture 
which they understand, and the next an equally 
fervent one over some juvenile animal. Well, we 
rode on our way, and looked into the new pits, 
and all the family, myself excepted, went down into 
D.'s tomb. It was rather difficult to get into, and I 
was tired, so I only sat and looked at the enormous 
hole he had made before finding it. 

Then we looked at the remains of the temple 
built by the Princess Hatasu, and on one wall of it 
is almost the most interesting fresco we have seen. 
She seems to have been quite a character, this Prin- 
cess, usurping her brother's throne, styling herself 
" King," and dressing herself as such, and in male 
attire she is depicted on the wall. Like the Queen of 
Sheba, she made a journey, and brought home from 
her travels many things — trees, for instance, and there 
are the pictures of the trees being carried along, and 
placed in her ships, the masts and ropes of which 
are clearly defined, and the river flows below with 
rows of fishes swimming at stated intervals through 
the water. There are cattle browsing, and scales 
full of rings on one side, and weights in the shape of 
cows in the other — and so on through all the story 
of her return home. We had very little time to see 
it all, and, as it was, we had to stop on our way 
till the moon had risen sufficiently to let us see the 
crossing, and when we got home we had dinner, at 
which Mr. Mackenzie Wallace — an antiquarian, and a 
French artist — assisted. 

Easter Sunday, 2$th. — We were to have gone out 



290 MEDIN-ET-ABU [ch. v 

early and spent the whole day with " Maspero," 
who is the head of the Museum at Cairo, and who is 
digging here ; but, as we had two invalids, I decided 
that the " women and children " should give up the 
morning expedition, and only join the rest of the 
party in the afternoon. So D. and the other gentle- 
men went off at 7.30, and spent the day in visiting 
the tombs of the Queens, and of some private indi- 
viduals, until 4 o'clock, when we all met at Medin-et- 
Abu. 

Medin-et-Abu is a combination of temple and 
palace, and is built like a fortress, every wall and 
gateway being of the most massive description, and 
each side of every wall and every pillar being entirely 
covered with pictures and hieroglyphics. Rameses III 
has immortalised himself in his portraits all over the 
place ; he is for ever fighting and victorious ; he is 
borne along in a splendid chariot, attended by gods 
and goddesses, he draws the bow, and his enemies are 
scattered around. He chucks a young lady under 
the chin, and through all these centuries she has 
supported his elbow while he does so ; the waters of 
life are poured over him, and birds are sent flying 
to all the quarters of the globe to proclaim his power 
and his greatness — and so on, and so on, all the history 
of his life is depicted on these walls. One of his 
great battles was at Migdol or Magdala, and, as Lord 
Napier of Magdala was with us, he greatly appre- 
ciated this fact as explained to us by M. Maspero. 

Monday, 26th. — We looked at the temple of Luxor 
this morning. Numbers of mud huts are built in 
the ruins, but now they are all to be demolished, and 
when that is done Luxor will have a much more 
imposing appearance as you approach it, for then 
the columns and portions of the walls of a great 
temple will be seen from the water instead of a 
number of ugly houses. There is here a most 



1883] THE HALL OF COLUMNS 291 

charming hotel with a lovely garden, quite a place 
for an invalid to spend the winter in. 

As soon as the afternoon was cool enough, we 
went off to have another look at Karnak, and we 
were all glad to finish off as we had begun, with the 
finest ruin in the world. In spite of all our senti- 
ments of admiration and veneration, we had tea in 
the great Hall of Columns, and I am not sure that, as 
we sat prosaically there enjoying our creature com- 
forts, we did not realise the magnitude and grandeur 
of our surroundings even more fully than if we had 
taken them more aesthetically. We stayed there till 
it was quite dark, and saw the sunset on the ruins, 
and then two Bengal lights were carried about, throw- 
ing the most lovely glows and shadows everywhere, 
and this was our last glimpse of Karnak. We rode 
home in the dark, and all the evening there was great 
" settling up," and great discussions going on be- 
tween D. and various people, for they say, '* We are 
on the eve of great discoveries — on the tomb of a 
king," and D. is tempted to stay and see. However, 
it was finally settled that he should go up to the 
place in the morning and then decide our plans. 

Tuesday, 2yth.—D. went off early to look at his 
diggings, and came back at nine. He thinks one of 
the holes really is promising, but he settled not to 
stay, but to let the men go on under one of M. 
Maspero's superintendents. 

I wonder if you know that last year a number of 
mummy-kings were found, not in their own fine 
tombs, but in a heap together, where some " body- 
snatcher " had hidden them, and D. hopes to have 
found another collection of these disentombed mon- 
archs. If so, Egypt will immortalise us — no matter 
how well or ill our " Constitution " succeeds I 

And now we are off once more ; Luxor has faded 
away in the distance — ^for ever ? I wonder. 



292 ASHORE [CH. V 

I was very glad to go ashore a little, which we did 
at five o'clock, just seeing the temple at Denderah 
before it got quite dark. 

It is a very fine temple of a much later date than 
the others we have seen, and in a good state of pre- 
servation. The Hall of Columns there is very magni- 
ficent, but the details are much coarser than those on 
the walls and pillars in the more ancient buildings. 

It was quite dark when we left it, and we rode 
home by the light of some magnesium candles borne 
aloft by a man on a donkey. 

Wednesday, 2Sth. — ^At this moment we are ashore, 
and the funniest efforts are being made to get us 
off — hundreds of men have swum out from the shore, 
and are now standing half under our vessel trying to 
push it side-ways with their backs — and one only 
sees the oddest heads appearing from underneath the 
steamer, some altogether shaved, some with a lock 
left on the crown, and all most hideous. Just now, 
a boat with a cargo of lightly clad brown people is 
approaching, with the view of helping us — and all 
round there is such a jabbering going on I We are 
very anxious to get off, as we have no time to spare. 

. . . We got off and on again several times during 
the day, and so did not get quite so far as we intended, 
having to spend the night some way from the proper 
stopping-place — ^Assiout . 

Thursday, 2gth. — By breakfast time we got there, 
and an hour was spent in bargaining for ivory sticks 
and native pottery. 

We intended to stop at Beni-Hassan, but, as the 
expedition there was very long, and the weather hot, 
and as it would have put off our arrival at Cairo by 
a night, we decided to go straight on. We had, 
however, to stop a moment to pick up Sultan Pasha, 
and a number of other Egyptians who had come 
down to meet D. We told them we had to go on, 



i88s] EVENING ON THE NILE 293 

but that if they would come on board we would take 
them back to their homes. This they did, and D. 
had a good two hours' talk with them through an 
interpreter. 

Everywhere that we have been the Governor or 
" Mudir " of the place came to see us, and two of 
them dined with us one night. 

The evening was lovely, and even when quite dark 
there was a golden glow upon the waters which 
looked quite mysterious, and I sat for a long time 
looking at it and at the black palms growing at the 
water's edge. The worst of travelling at this time 
of year is that there is so very little time in which 
you can see the scenery. All day it is too hot to be 
out, even under an awning — at five it gets cool, but 
at seven it is pitch dark. So from ten till five the 
day is lost as far as the tourist is concerned. The 
heat is not excessive indoors ; it is only the great 
power of the sun which makes it dangerous to go out. 

You see I have done with tombs and monuments 
and ancient kings, and so ought to write no more about 
the Nile. 

Now I'll tell you how we have all " taken " this 
expedition. 

D. read a great big history of Egypt by Brugsch 
— took an interest in his " diggings," and was 
delighted to revisit all these sights — did some official 
business at every place, and kept an eye on passing 
gendarmes and Mudirs. 

Lady D. — Read Erasmus Wilson, Miss Edwards, 
Murray, and Narda (by Ebers), liked the temples 
immensely, but is not sufficiently of a gambler to 
enter heartily into the " diggings." 

Helen. — ^A quiet and rather languid interest, but 
was sorry to miss some sights owing to a feverish 
attack. 

Three Children. — Extremely happy, and greatly 



294 DRAMO PERS. [ch. v 

excited over everything — cabins, donkeys, monu- 
ments, hieroglyphics, passing animals, wildly desirous 
of finding some antiquity for themselves. 

Miss S. — ^A reference on historical facts when a 
book is not at hand — very pleased and happy. 

Mr. Bland. — ^Went through the sight-seeing with 
a proper amount of interest. 

Miss Colvin. — ^The life of the party until she 
fell ill. 

Miss Blackwell. — Despises a steamer, having once 
spent the winter in a dahabiyeh. 

Mrs. Hall. — Has gone religiously through every- 
thing : rode donkeys, gone into tombs, edged near 
the children when they were receiving any informa- 
tion, so as to pick up the crumbs that might fall, 
and has displayed, on all occasions, the energy of a 
young woman — and she must be nearly seventy. 

NowELL. — ^Was invested with authority at the 
diggings, and always thought he was close " upon a 
king." 

Mr. Moore, the interpreter, has told wonderful 
stories, and has done his business to perfection. 
Then there was a M . Alexandre, sent by Cook, who 
has managed everything, and thought of everything, 
down to bringing out toilet vinegar to refresh us in 
the tombs on a hot day — a wonderful organiser. 

Friday, ^oth. — I wound this up too soon, and must 
take another sheet to finish it. As we were hurrying 
on to get home before dark, we saw on the banks 
a large tent, a great array of turbaned individuals, 
and a guard of white-clad gendarmerie. A landing- 
place had also been put up, and so there was nothing 
for it but to take the hint and stop. This we did, 
and D.went ashore, was seated in the tent — the " tur- 
bans " took off their black robes, and displayed 
the most lovely green, yellow, and purple garments 
underneath, and all sat round, while the great man 



I 

i 



1883] THE CHILDREN 



295 



was coffeed and cigaretted. A " pow-wow " took 
place, and then D. walked " around " the gendarmes, 
— the turbans came on board, and shook hands with 
the harem of the Grand Bashaw, and off we went 
again. However, we were too late, and the sun went 
to bed so earty that we had to unpack again, and 
stay on board. 

The children have been so good, and so amusing 
on board, that I must give them a separate chapter. 

They take such an interest in all the history, 
and in everything they see — are greatly " bitten " 
with Egyptology, and really know a great deal for 
such little things. Freddie talks with familiarity of 
Rameses II, and Queen Hatasu, and they go about 
trying to spell the cartouches, and at home study 
books on the subject, to try and draw their own 
names in hieroglyphics. Their chief amusement on 
board has been playing draughts, and now nursing 
Miss Colvin is an occupation. Freddie got quite 
sentimental over her — he says she " ghtters," that is 
his description of her very beaming face — and the 
first time he saw her dressed for dinner, he said, 
" How nice you look in evening dress 1 " And then he 
set to work most diligently and worked a marker for 
her with her initials on it, and put it in an envelope, 
on which he put, " For her I love best." He is very 
pleased with the idea of telling the Wyndhams all 
he has learnt about Egypt, and last night he said, " I 
shall ask Willie Wyndham what the Sacred Bull was 
called — Cow, he'll probably say." 
^ Cairo, Monday, April 2nd. — I am leaving here some 
time before D. can get away, and so I have begun 
my farewell visits. Those to harems are trying to 
the constitution in every way — fatiguing, as they are 
so long, and the conversation is laboured, and then 
one has to taste so many things, and to inhale so 
much smoke. 



20 



296 FAREWELL VISITS [ch. v ! 

To-day I began at 1 1 .30, and went to Princess \ 
Said, the widow of an ex- Khedive. She is clever and ; 
nice ; writes very pretty Arab poetry, and when I : 
told her that D. had admired a hymn she had written, , 
she was much amused, and clapped me on the back \ 
— ^for it happened to be of a rebellious nature 1 She i 
did not like the English invasion, but now she says , 
that they are doing good in the country. She re- ] 
ceived me in the hall, and led me to a divan in her ; 
drawing-room, offered me a pipe, and smoked her- ; 
self. A very nice girl acted as interpreter. ' 

In about half an hour, we went in to lunch, had 
our hands washed en passant by damsels holding > 
silver basins and ewers, and embroidered towels, and 
sat ourselves round a large silver tray. We had lentil , 
soup, and then a very good dish of rice and minced ' 
meat wrapped up in vine-leaves, a stuffed joint of ' 
lamb, a dish of savoury pastry, rissoles, fish, sweet ] 
pastry, and many other things, and one kind of J 
sweet wine — Malmsey, I think. She told me to ' 
tell the Prince of Wales that, since we bombarded ^ 
Alexandria, she no longer liked the English. I told ^ 
her that I would give her message, and would add i 
that I don't believe it. She said she would send D. 1 
Turkish dishes when I had left — that he would be ' 
under her care, and that she looked upon herself as i 
his mother-in-law. ' 

Arab music was being played all the time by 
four Houris, and once they broke into an air from ; 
Rigoletto, to which the Princess had put Turkish j 
words. V 

When we had finished we again washed our hands, ; 
looked at some of the pictures and ornaments in the \ 
large hall, and then sat ourselves down on divans 1 
in another room. Coffee was brought, and after a | 
little time the musicians came in, and four girls 
dance. 



1883] DANCES 297 

They were all dressed in a deep pink — body and 
" divided skirt," the latter quite touching the ground. 
At first the dance was the usual thing. I may call 
it the " Dislocated Hip " dance, and they repeated 
it with water-bottles on their heads. Then they per- 
formed a wonderful gymnastic feat. A ring was put 
down upon the floor, and, throwing themselves back 
till their hands reached the floor, they walked back- 
wards on hands and feet till they got to the ring, 
when, turning their heads under, they picked it up 
in their mouths. They finished off this part of the 
performance by turning head over heels in " wheel 
fashion " three times. 

Then they danced a Tunisian dance. I believe it 
represented love. They held handkerchiefs in their 
hands, and waved them about gracefully enough, then 
they danced for some time, holding them up to their 
eyes — ^weeping ; then took hold of the corners and 
twisted themselves in and out. 

After this came a Circassian dance, which was rather 
amusing, for a tall and rather elderly young lady, in a 
grey gown represented a man, and all the dancing 
was in her hands (or feet ?). She did some wonderful 
steps (in grey and red stockings), flung about the 
room, and then, with a hiss and a whoop, seized a 
young lady and turned her round. This, and another 
Circassian dance, in which there was a good deal of 
vocal accompaniment, resemble the Scotch reels. Ice 
was next brought in, and when we reached the hall 
door to go out, a drink in a golden cup was offered us. 

The Princess embraced me, and again told me to 
have no anxiety about D. 

I left about 2.30, and went off to Princess Man- 
sour's. I was rather glad that some other visitors 
were there too. Here we tasted sweets and tea, and 
I felt quite unable to go on with the harems, and 
have three on my hands to-day. 



298 FAREWELL VISITS [ch. v 

Tuesday, 2,rd. — ^We have got a reprieve, as there is 
no room for us in the China boat ; however, as my 
harems were by appointment, I had to try and do 
them. The Vice-Reine was very Hvely, and Madame 
della Sala was there, so the conversation was pretty 
brisk. She gave me her family photographs, and I 
am to send mine. 

Then I went on to the grandmother, a dear old thing, 
and then started off to Princess Hassan. I was in a 
great hurry, as it was a quarter to six, and we were 
to dine at seven, and a harem visit must be long ; 
so, looking at my watch every five minutes, I arrived 
at a palace a long way off, went into a room, slaves 
attended, but no sign of the Princess, and I began to 
fume at her delay. Another person came in, and sat 
herself down by Katie. I thought it funny, but sup- 
posed she was a friend. No one could speak any 
known tongue ; at last, after coffee, the person got 
up and sat by me ; then a slave pointed first to a 
picture, and said, " Hussein,'^ and then to the lady, 
and said, " Mother " — so I found that, instead of 
being at Princess Hassan's, who was expecting me, I 
was with Prince Hassan's mother. I said, " Hassan 
Hanoun," and pointed to myself to express that she 
was expecting me ; but twent}^ precious minutes 
were gone, and the right palace was far away from 
this one, and very far from our house. I had to 
go, but settled to say at once that I had been 
kept, and that I would return another day to 
pay my visit. This I did as soon as possible, but 
I had to go in and have coffee. The Princess is a 
very pretty person, speaks French, and was really 
in a state of joy, because her husband is allowed to 
come back. She said I was to thank D. — that it 
was his doing, and that she was so glad he had come 
to Egypt. 

April gth. — ^The Khedive kindly came to our house 



1883] FAREWELLS 299 

to say good-bye to me, and Nelly and I left in the 
afternoon for England. 

The children returned to Constantinople at once, 
and on the second of May D. himself was able to leave 
Cairo. He went by special train to Alexandria, all 
the English officers and officials, and most of the 
Egyptian Ministers, being at the station to see him 
off. At Alexandria he went on board H.M.S. 
Helicon, which was to take him to Constantinople. 

On May loth he had an interview with the Sultan 
in reference to Egypt and the Armenian question, 
the latter being the business which took him back to 
Constantinople on his way home from Egypt, 

After a week there he again went on board the 
Helicon, was landed at Varna, and arrived in London 
on May 22nd. 



London to Constantinople 

September. — All night in the train, and a few hours at 
Marseilles. We did a little sight-seeing there, passing 
through a very fine entrance to a " Zoo," museums 
on either side, flights of stairs, and a centre-piece of 
great bulls and gigantic infants struggling through 
waterfalls which flow down into a pond surrounded 
by gardens. This is at the end of the street, and 
behind this very handsome gateway is a real garden 
d'acclimatation, as the animals are passed on to 
other places when they become accustomed to the 
new climate. 

Then to our ship. Lovely weather, but the time 
passed slowly till Monday, when we had the whole 
day ashore at Naples. We made the most of this, 
got up early, breakfasted at an hotel, and then off 
by train to Pompeii. 

It was most interesting, but quite Lilliputian after 



300 POMPEII [CH. V 

Karnak. The little houses, with their little rooms, 
little courts, little gardens, make the Romans appear 
small compared with the ancient Egyptians ; but the 
ruins are very interesting, giving one such a complete 
idea of the life of the inhabitants . You see the paintings 
on their walls, the mosaic on their floors, the wine- 
bottles still cooling in the halls, the wine-merchant's 
shop and the baker's oven, the public bath and the 
" drying room," the Hall of Justice and the theatre ; 
everything that can tell of a people's life is there, 
and then in the museum are those wonderful castes 
of the people themselves. There is an old Roman 
with the conventional nose, and a ring on his finger, 
apparently unconscious of the fate that overtook 
him, and several others ; the only figure showing 
any signs of agony is that of a dog twisted into an 
extraordinary attitude. Having spent two hours there 
we returned to Naples, and had time to look into the 
Museum, where there is a great collection of paint- 
ings, sculpture, and mosaics taken from Pompeii, 
and then once more on board. The day seemed 
interminable, and every one on board seemed to feel 
it so, and the arrangement of meals added to this 
length. Breakfast at nine, and dinner at five ! 
Such a time between ! I particularly noticed a little 
French bride as looking very much bored, so Wednes- 
day morning I spoke to her, upon which she jumped 
up and sat by me and talked for hours. I never 
saw any one so glad to unloose her tongue. All day 
we were close to the Greek coast, which made the day 
pass pleasantly. Vessels are not allowed to go into 
Athens till daylight, so we were some hours outside. 
The Greeks who were going to land there got up 
about 5 a.m., and laughed and talked all the time, 
waking up all the other passengers. We had a 
pleasant surprise at the Dardanelles. Arthur turned 
up there and gave us all the news of Therapia. 



1883] RETURN TO CONSTANTINOPLE 30T 

We got into Constantinople early in the morning, 
and by nine were off on our own house, hearing the 
welcoming shrieks of the children as they watched 
our approach. 

All the Embassy were there, Katie, of course, and 
she and Arthur came in to breakfast. D. had only 
begun his when the Russian Secretary arrived, then 
the Austrian, and so on. No rest for him now. 

In the afternoon we valiantly went off to call on 
the Ambassadors, and in the evening our secretaries 
came in to celebrate our return. 

Sunday, September z^th, to Saturday, October 6th. — 
I have been settling down this week, and picking up 
the threads that were dropped eleven months ago, 
as well as some new ones that have been added since 
I left. For example, we find two new Ambassadors 
here — M. Radowitz for Germany, and M. Nelidoff for 
Russia. 

The weather has been extremely hot ; I bathe in 
the morning and ride occasionally as late in the day 
as it is possible to go. Monday I went up to town to 
see how our house is getting on, and found it in a very 
backward condition, papers torn off, but none put on 
as yet. 

D. saw the Sultan, who was most gracious, and 
talks of inviting us to dinner. 

October nth, — ^The weather continues to play the 
most extraordinary pranks. First it was unbearably 
hot, then unbearably cold, and so stormy ; and then 
came a really nice day, which was most fortunate, as 
we had to spend it on board a yacht. Mr. Pender * 
came here with the Volta, a cable-laying and cable- 
picking-up ship, and gave a great luncheon. We 
really enjoyed it very much, for he kindly consulted 
our feelings, and did not take us into the Black 
Sea, but gave us lunch on deck, in the calm waters 

1 Sir John Pender. 



302 DINNER AT THE PALACE [ch. v 

of the Bosphorus. We looked at all the machinery, 
and saw a " mend " or " join "in a broken 
cable, and really felt quite pleased with the in- 
formation we had gained, till Katie called it a useless 
" smattering." 

We had to lunch in relays, and when I heard that 
the second relay was speech-making, I drew near to 
listen, and heard a Turk propose the Sultan's health 
in the following terms : " Nous avons assez bu, 
nous avons assez dit, mais il faut boire a la sante 
de Sa Majeste le Sultan, I'ami du progres et de la 
civilisation." When Mr. Pender heard this he 
apologised for not having proposed the toast sooner, 
and proposed it a second time. 

Wednesday, October ijth. — I have to tell you to-day 
of our dinner at the Sultan's, and I may mention at 
once that it is a somewhat fatiguing affair, as we began 
to dress at 3.30, and only got home at midnight. 
The Sultan always puts off the day he originally fixes 
(as a matter of principle, or superstition), so we knew 
that when we were invited for Monday we were sure 
not to go that day. Wednesday was then named, 
and we were asked to be at the Palace at 12.30, 
Turkish time, that is half an hour after sunset, 6.30 
by our time. It is a long drive to Yildiz, and when 
I had all my diamonds and my evening dress on in 
the broad daylight I felt as if I was going to a 
drawing-room. D. and I, Nelly and Sir Alfred 
Sanderson went in our carriage, with two kavasses 
riding in front. 

When we got to the Palace, which is a very small 
one, we found Munir Bey waiting to receive us. He 
is the Grand Chamberlain, and a very nice man, 
superior in manner and appearance to the others. 

Mr. Pender was also a guest, and he went in to see 
the Sultan first. 

When he returned we were taken to a room where 



< 



1883] DINNER AT THE PALACE 303 

the Sultan met us at the door, and, offering me his 
arm, led me to a divan, where we both sat down in 
opposite corners, exactly at the same moment. 

D. and Nelly were placed opposite, and Munir Bey 
stood near to interpret. The Sultan has a very good 
face and pleasant manner, but his body is too small 
for his head, so he looks chetif. 

He began by expressing his regret at not having 
seen me before ; I replied that His Majesty was very 
good, and that the honour of seeing him was also a 
great pleasure to me. He then (always through the 
interpreter) congratulated me upon having " une fille 
si distinguee." After a short conversation we got 
up again, and were presented to the three young 
Princes, and then, giving me his arm, the Sultan took 
me to the dining-room. The Pashas were standing 
in their places round the table. The Sultan sat at 
the end, and there was the space of one place left 
on either side of him ; then came D., and opposite 
him, me. Said, the Grand Vizier, was next me, 
and the poor frightened little man, who has an 
absolute incapacity for small talk, was told twice 
during dinner to talk to me, an order which he 
nervously obeyed, rushing into some perfectly un- 
intelligible remark ; of course, when I saw we 
were intended to talk, I helped him as much as 
possible. 

The table was very long, and Nelly sat at the far 
end of it, next to the young Prince. Munir Bey 
stood in a submissive attitude near the Sultan, and 
received his conversation, passing it on to the person 
for whom it was intended ; he salaamed all the time. 
His Majesty talked to me a good deal about fishing, 
and said he hoped I liked the dinner, which was 
Turkish ; but you will be amused to hear that our 
national dish, " ploompouding," appeared on the 
menu, at the top of which was printed both the 



304 DINNER AT THE PALACE [ch. V 

English and the Turkish date: October 17th, 1883; 
15 Yilhidje, 1300. 

The dinner is cooked in another Palace, and waits 
several hours after its arrival at Yildiz ; so it is warmed 
up, and is really bad and cold. 

The Sultan talked a good deal to D. too, and was 
much interested in hearing of the Clay pigeon machine. 
He is very fond of shooting, and has things thrown up 
in the air for him to aim at, so this thing will please 
him greatly. He told me that he wanted to get up 
a concert in aid of some sufferers from earthquake 
at Smyrna, and said that he wished me to take the 
direction of it. (I hope my " colleagues " won't 
mind.) 

A servant always stands at a little distance, with 
his eye fixed on the Sultan, and only approaches to 
hand or to take away anything at a signal from him. 
Indeed the servants all down the room are half 
turned towards His Majesty, and have their hands 
laid flat upon their stomachs. This attitude gives 
a very submissive and frightened look to a human 
being. 

Nothing was handed to any one until the Sultan 
had helped himself. Very good music went on all 
the time, which was a comfort, as no one spoke but 
ourselves. The Sultan never spoke to any one else, 
so the Pashas don't gain much by dining with him. 

At dessert, he picked out two large bonbons and 
gave them to me for my children. When dinner was 
over, he offered me his arm again, and we returned to 
the room he had first received us in. 

I again sat on the divan, Nelly opposite, D. and 
Munir Bey next. The Sultan asked me if I minded 
smoking, and then lit a cigarette. 

He apologised once more for not having seen me 
before, and then started a long admonition to Nelly. 
" Your father tells me that you like drawing and do 



1883] AFTER DINNER 305 

not care for music, but the two arts should go together, 
and you would look so very well at the piano. I have 
a first-rate professor, and I shall be happy to send 
him to you " — and much more on the same subject. 
D. said that, if ever she was idle again, he should ask 
His Majesty to speak to her. It was verj^ amusing. 
D. did a little business, and then, with many more 
polite speeches, the Sultan congratulating D. upon 
having " une femme et une fille si distinguees," we got 
up and curtseyed and bowed, and were conducted to 
the door. As soon as I got to the other room, where 
all the Pashas were assembled, the Grand Vizier 
brought me the Order of the Shefakat from the Sultan, 
and all the Pashas helped me to put it on, and they 
shook hands with me and congratulated me, for the 
moment you receive any mark of the Sultan's favour 
you rise at once to a great height in their estimation ! 

I hear we made a most favourable impression on 
the Grand Turk, and it amuses me, because all the 
" colleagues " were in a state of excitement as to 
how we should be received. 

As a diplomatic precedence-squabble may amuse 
you, I will give you an account of the first in which 
I have been unwillingly mixed up. I have often heard 
of them, but I never experienced one before. 

The Sultan sent his Chamberlain, Munir Be}^, to 
me on Thursday to repeat that His Majesty wished 
to have a concert and a bazaar arranged, in order 
to procure money for the poor of Smyrna, who have 
lost their all through an earthquake. That the 
Sultan desired that there should be a committee of 
the Ambassadresses, and that I was to be the presi- 
dent and manager of the whole affair. He (Munir) 
was to go round to all the Embassies, and state this 
distinctly as His Majesty's wish. When I received 
the message I said I was very grateful to the Sultan, 
and should be happy to carry out his wishes as well 



306 AFTER DINNER [ch. v 

as I possibly could. " But," I said to Munir, " I must 
tell you that the Austrian is the first Ambassadress 
here, and that I am the second, so in giving the 
Sultan's message to her, perhaps you could say that 
her delicate health would, you understand, prevent 
her from enduring the fatigue of herself arranging 
such a business, and that therefore I would do it 
instead, at the Sultan's request." 

That is all that I thought I could do, and that 
evening I went quite happily to dine with the Aus- 
trians, and talked both to my hostess and to the other 
Ambassadresses about it all. 

However, after dinner, Baron Calici told me that 
he could not accept the secondary position for his 
wife. I told him that I had myself drawn Munir 's 
attention to the difficulty, but that I thought less of 
it, as I took it for granted Madame Calici was not 
strong enough to do it. 

He was very nice to me, but continued to repeat, 
" We must find some way out of it," and also said 
he should speak to the Sultan about it. 

When I told D. all this, he went over next morn- 
ing to see Baron Calici, and found him in exactly 
the sarne frame of mind ; so we wrote to him in the 
evening, and said that " it was needless to say that, 
should he so arrange it with the Sultan, I would join 
my colleagues in doing all I could to make the thing 
successful under the presidency of Madame Calici.** 
In fact, I have resigned, and am now waiting to 
see what the Sultan says. Baron Calici goes to him 
to-day. D. told him I had no wish for my name to 
appear in any printed paper as " president," and 
that in the advertisements our names should be placed 
in their proper order. He seemed tolerably satisfied 
with this, and said he would suggest it to Munir 
Bey. 

Late in the evening, {Saturday 20th), the Baron 



1883] A PRECEDENCE DIFFICULTY 307 

came back, the Sultan had a toothache, and did not 
receive him, so he made the above suggestions to 
Munir, and then came to us and arranged that we 
should not wait for any further orders from the 
Sultan, but that we should meet at his house, that 
his wife would then say to the assembled committee 
that she, being doyenne, had called them together 
to arrange a concert and bazaar at the Sultan's desire ; 
but that, owing to her bad health, she felt unequal to 
the task, and therefore that she begs Lady Dufferin, 
who comes next in regular order of precedence, to 
undertake the task. This arrangement suits me 
perfectly, for, though appointed by the Sultan, I shall 
take the place by right of seniority, so no one can 
object. I will not close this history till the meeting 
is over. 

Monday, 22nd. — I arrived first, and the others 
dropped in soon after, but the Russian Ambassadress 
was rather late, which spoilt the effect of Madame 
Calici's little speech, as it came in the middle instead 
of the beginning. She managed it better than her 
husband did, and said I had asked her, as doyenne, 
to have the meeting at her house, etc., etc. The 
rest of the business rather amused me. I had 
written down all the things I wanted to have settled, 
and I got them settled, and had everything done in 
order. Both Baron Calici and his wife are so nice 
and kind that I am very glad this all-important 
question has been settled amicably. 

November ^rd. — ^The Helicon, with the Admiral, 
Lord John Hay, on board, and a whole host of sea- 
captains, should have arrived yesterday, but, owing 
to the usual delays of the Turks, the Firman per- 
mitting the ship to pass through the Dardanelles was 
not sent in time, and the ship was detained there 
until it should be sent. There was great wrath about 
it here, but the Admiral seems to have borne it with 



3o8 H.M.S. HELICON [ch. v 

great calm, and to have utilised the time in thor- 
oughly investigating the forts. He left Chanak 
Friday morning, but the night was rough, and I 
believe all the captains were so ill, that they anchored, 
and only got here at three o'clock Saturday. 

D. had just started for a sail, and, when we saw the 
Helicon coming, Katie and I went down to the hotel 
to see the arrival. While she steamed up to her buoy, 
D. came back sailing proudly in to pick up his ; 
the Tilburina, the other Embassy yacht, went out, 
and boats from the Italian and French Stationnaires 
started to pay short visits to the Admiral, and Arthur 
in a tall hat and frock coat, and Major Trotter in 
uniform, also went to welcome him, Nelly and D. 
very soon going on board too. When Lord John 
landed we met him on the quay, and walked home 
with him, and then all the Captains called- — Captains 
Rawson, Fairfax, Stephenson, Winsler. Lord John 
and his Flag-Lieutenant, Mr. Tyrwhitt, are staying 
in the house. They were all very glad to see fires 
and tea. 

Seven of them dined with us, and we were to be a 
party of twenty. There was great discussion over 
the arrangement at table, as an Ambassador and a 
Minister were to dine, and yet the dinner was to 
Lord John. However, we decided to keep to the 
letter of the law, and to send the Diplomat first — 
Fancy our feelings, therefore, when, just before 
dinner, a second Ambassador was announced. 

Baron Calici had mistaken my invitation for the 
evening to be one for dmner, and there he was, the 
very top of the list. 

We had to put in a place, and to rearrange the 
whole, but it was beautifully done by Arthur, and 
no one found out that we had an unexpected guest. 
To show you, however, the care one has to take about 
details, we had put the people's names at their places. 



1883] DINNER TO LORD JOHN HAY 309 

In the hurry of adding one, Baron Calici's was written 
too quickly, and was rather untidy, and the card had 
his name on it instead of " Ambassadeur d'Autriche- 
Hongrie." He kept looking at this, as if he was going 
to keep it, so I took it up and tore it ; upon which 
he said, " I am sorry you tore it. I should like to 
have kept it as a souvenir, as one would be sure never 
to get such a card at another dinner." Only that 
he was so very good-humoured as he spoke, I should 
have thought he meant to be disagreeable. I said 
to myself, " If you only knew what a thunder-clap 
your arrival was, you would be surprised how well 
we have concealed it." This dinner and whole 
entertainment really was a tour-de-force, and reflected 
great credit upon Nowell. On Friday morning he 
was told we should be sixteen at dinner, and made 
arrangements accordingly ; on Friday evening he 
was told we should be twenty at dinner, and would 
have a dance, to which eighty people were asked. 
He had, on the morning of the day, to send up to 
town for a table, large table-cloths, more glass, plate, 
etc., and the cook, who was short of provisions, had 
also to exert himself. They succeeded admirably, 
and nothing could have gone off better. 

We danced in our round room, and every one seemed 
to enjoy it. Lord John says that, last time he was 
here, all the Ambassadors were very solemn and 
pompous, and he was surprised to see them all dancing. 
He said to M. de Radowitz, " You seem to be fond of 
dancing." Upon which he replied, ** What is the 
use of being Ambassador here if you don't dance ? " 
and started off again. 

We were supposed to end at twelve, but it was nearly 
two when I got to bed. 

We have to go on with a series of dinners while 
the Admiral is here. After one dinner (fourteen) 
we had singing, and after another (sixteen) people 



310 CHARITY CONCERT [ch. v 

talked and sang a very little. The weather has taken 
a fine turn, after days of storm, and on Monday we 
went to sail, and found the sun quite hot and no wind. 
D. had to take the Admiral down to pay his visits at 
the Porte, and the Sultan gives him a dinner on 
Tuesday. D. has had enough of dining at the Palace. 
This is the third time he has been lately. 

Wednesday, November 14th. — ^The Admiral left us 
on Saturday. His visit was successful, the weather 
having been quite lovely. 

The rehearsals for the concert took place. The 
music is all amateur and bad, but nothing is long, 
and the constant change of performers amuses 
people. 

I was kept very busy over the tickets. The Palace 
having waited till the last moment, the Sultan suddenly 
sent for seven hundred tickets ! I had to get them 
printed as quickly as I could, and there was some 
trouble over that. He took five hundred for himself, 
and made his surroundings take the others. The 
Wyndhams lunched with us, and we went to the 
steamer to see them off to England. They had quite 
a beau depart, every one coming down to say good- 
bye to them. We are very sorry to lose them, and 
fear tfiey may not return. 

Then came the Concert. It was quite a brilliant 
assembly for this place, and with gifts, etc., we shall 
have made about ;^ 1,800. During the concert the 
Sultan sent me his ;£soo in a bag, and Mr. Blared 
walked home with it and locked it up. 

The question now arises, " What is to be done with 
the money ? How make sure that it reaches its 
destination ? " After much deliberation, we decided 
to ask the Sultan to appoint a Turkish official to go 
with our treasurer to see that it is properly spent, 
and " would His Majesty allow us to name a delegate 
to send with it ? " He has accepted that suggestion. 



1883] THE CHARITY BAZAAR 311 

I wanted to choose our Military Attache, Major 
Trotter, who arranged all the money sent to Chios, 
but the other Embassies evidently objected to an 
Englishman being selected, and, after some discussion 
at a five o'clock tea meeting I had here to-day, we 
decided to ask the Ottoman Bank, where the money 
is lodged, to send some one with it. I have not yet 
heard if they can do so. 

We had rather a nice dinner, fourteen people, and 
some strangers, which makes an agreeable change here. 
The chief guests were the " Hobes." He is a German, 
and is the Sultan's " Master of the Horse." Both he 
and his wife are very nice. 

November 24th. — It is settled that M. Lafontaine, 
Secretary of the Ottoman Bank, is to take the money 
to Tchesme. He is an Englishman, but he has a foreign 
name, so every one is pleased. Mr. Pender has sent 
me a hundred pounds' worth of things for my bazaar, 
and the " Nordenfeldt Gun " is going to spend a 
hundred on a fine Christmas-tree, so now there are 
only two anxieties — where to have the sale, and will 
the things I have ordered from London come in time ? 
They only left the seventeenth. 

Monday, December 2>i^d. — ^The vexed question of 
where the bazaar is to be is settled at last. I had 
offered our Embassy, so had the French, and so had 
the Russians. When I saw the Russian I thought it 
was more suitable than ours for the purpose, so gave 
my vote for it, and we feel quite relieved now that 
it is settled. 

December, 1883. — I am delighted to have been able 
to send some one we could trust with the money to 
Tchesme, as it certainly would not have been wisely 
spent by the Turks. The Delegate telegraphs, " Am 
leaving for Tchesme to distribute relief personally. 
Have undertaken very difficult task with insufficient 
funds and large demands to meet." I hope the 
21 



312 HAREM VISITS [ch. v 

bazaar will make a good deal, but I don't see that it 
can do very much as compared with the £1,900 of the 
concert. 

In the afternoon, in spite of pouring rain, I went 
to see Princess Fatmah, a sister of the Khedive's, who 
is here. We had to go in the steam launch, and I 
took the Greeks with me. Princess Fatmah is a 
very pretty woman ; painted, of course, but so very well 
done that it does not strike one as " got-up " ; reddish 
hair, lovely complexion, and dark eye-brows. She 
speaks French, and seems really a nice person. There 
is a German governess there whom we knew before, 
and she met us at the door. There was a smart 
array of slaves in the " Harem," and the Princess 
herself, in a handsome stamped velvet gown, a diamond 
comb at the side of her head, and little turban 
above it. She had splendid rings and earrings, and 
a brooch like a dead bird, all in jewels. On a table 
before her was a gold salver set in diamonds, and the 
most lovely little saucers and cigarette-tubes, with 
large precious stones in them, the mouth-pieces being 
emeralds. The coffee-cups were also set with rubies 
and diamonds, and they were handed by a fat young 
man. Madame Condouriotti ^ said in French, for- 
getting she would be understood, " That's a girl." The 
Princess burst out laughing and said, " You did not 
expect to find boys in here ? " We asked to see her 
children, and they came in, a very nice boy and girl. 
She seemed so fond of them, and made the boy 
translate for her into English. 

She has been a widow many years. When the 
troubles broke out in Alexandria she sent her children 
here, and when she wanted to come here herself, 
knowing that the Sultan cannot bear the descendants 
of Mehemet Ali, she got the children to write a petition 
saying that they were the children of " a Prince," 
^ Wife of the Greek Minister. 



2^1 



1883] BUSY DAYS 313 

that their mother was a widow, and wanted to come 
to them. 

The Sultan did not notice who she was, and gave 
permission. She thinks this place suits her health 
and has bought a house here. I don't know how it 
was I did not know her at Cairo. She is sister to 
Princess Mansour, but is stricter in her Turkish ways, 
though even she seems much bored by them, does 
not care to go out, and speaks of the trouble of the 
yashmak — " toute cette Histoire," to prepare for the 
public gaze. 

I have been busy preparing for a dinner and dance 
on Monday. All the Ambassadors and Ministers 
and some Turks, and in the evening a hundred and 
fifty guests are asked. I wrote all the invitations 
myself. 

I generally have a good many visitors now at five, 
for I have not begun a " day," and so they expect 
to find me at home every day at that time. They all 
like my room, which, with its Sheridan pictures, looks 
different from any other here. 

I am rather anxious about the arrival of all my 
bazaar goods; it will be terrible if they are late. I 
think I told you what funny things I have been 
sent ; biscuits, boot-blacking, knife-polish, etc. Mr. 
Pender's i^^ioo is my great stand-by, but the Germans 
will cut us all out, as their Royalties have sent ;^330, 
besides presents to sell. I am going to unpack all 
my china now and price it, which will be rather 
amusing. 

Tuesday, December 4th. — I have been so extremely 
busy the last few days that I am quite puzzled as 
to the exact date at which anything happened, but 
I must try and give you a faint idea of my doings. 
On Wednesday morning Madame Wallenberg came 
in early to discourse upon the " Christmas-tree " 
and the bazaar, and we set to work and priced a 



^14 FIRE AT HASKEUI [ch. v 

quantity of things that have arrived for it. While 
so engaged a servant came and told me there was 
a fire, and I looked out of the window, but was 
much too busy to attend to the smoke I saw. 
After lunch we went a short ride and when we 
got on the hills we found the wind so high we 
could hardly keep on our horses and the smoke kept 
blowing in our faces from the fire. Then we came 
to a place where the poor burnt-out people were. 
Looking down the hill, we could see the houses burn- 
ing, and all round the top of it were thousands of 
people with their bedding and the things they were 
able to save lying out on the grass. The burning 
quarter was the poorest of the town, and was inhabited 
by Jews. I believe they might have got shelter at 
night, but they could not bear to leave their things, 
and the consequence was that they would stay with 
them and were exposed to the most awful weather 
— wind, rain, and snow ! Several children died and 
three women were confined, and the sufferings must 
have been awful. I came home and had a meeting 
about the bazaar that afternoon. 

Thursday, 6th. — ^When I came down to breakfast 
I found a letter from Mr. Rous (the Nordenfeldt gun), 
suggesting that the Christmas-tree should be for the 
sufferers by this fire instead of for the earthquake 
people. I agreed. 

Then I had to write off to every one I could think 
of to ask them to sell tickets at once and to tell them 
of the change. This took all the morning — before 
I had finished lunch people came to buy the tickets, 
and I had to sign each one, count the money, etc. 

Friday, yth. — ^The tickets for the Tree are selling 
so fast that they cause me the greatest anxiety. 
Some people think that in the cause of charity one 
may do anything, but I am anxious to conduct the 
business honestly, and only to have a fair amount of 



1883] REFUGEES AT HASKEUI 315 

blanks, and to be able to accommodate the people 
who come. 

I managed to get a little ride in the afternoon, but 
otherwise I worked with my pen all the morning and 
had interviews all the afternoon, and long discussions 
as to the system to be carried out. I did some bazaar 
work too, and also had some distressed ladies coming 
to me for advice. I can't tell you the hundred and 
one things that turn up to be done. 

Saturday, Sih. — Writing from 9.30 till 12. Then 
went to Russian Embassy, and was there till four. 
Great discussion over tableaux and about the arrange- 
ment of the rooms for the bazaar. It will really be 
very pretty as we have arranged it. They give four 
rooms for the purpose. Then, on my return home, 
[adame Fernandez (the rich Jewess of the place), 
:ame to me about the burnt-out people and I am 
joing with her at nine to-morrow to see them. The 
rermans and the Bank people all came afterwards, 
10 that it was half-past five before I was alone. Then 

wrote to acquaint " France " and " Austria " of 
the arrangements made to-day, and then I began to 
scribble this off as fast as I could write ! 

I have not explained well that the Christmas-tree 
will be in this house on the twenty-ninth. 

The Bazaar is to be the 20th and 21st, and evening 
of 22nd. 

Sunday, gth. — Madame Fernandez came for me 
at nine o'clock, and we drove in a hired carriage to 
Haskeui. The road there was dreadful, and we seemed 
to be constantly on the verge of upsetting. We went 
first to an English missionary establishment, where 
there are two hundred refugees. There seemed to 
be about four families in each room, and they were 
warming their fingers over small charcoal braziers. 
My Jewish friend seemed to think they were pretty 
comfortable, and I had to remind her that it was 



3i6 THE TREE AND THE BAZAAR [ch. v 

through charity they were so. I left ten pounds 
(tree money) and have sent twenty pounds since, 
which is to be spent on coverings (" Yorgans " they 
call them), thick-quilted counterpanes. Then we went 
on to the Barracks, where the crowding is fearful. 
Each family has about a square yard of space to live 
in. Of course we only saw a specimen, about ten 
rooms full, for we could do no good. I suggested 
that the first desideratum was that the sick should 
be separated from the other people, and I think a 
soup-kitchen is badly needed ; but organisation is 
very bad here, and I don't think there is much 
chance of managing that. 

The tree has already made over five hundred pounds. 
Large sums, such as one thousand pounds from Baron 
Hirsch, are to be spent on building little huts, for as 
the people live by small industries, the moment they 
get space enough they can begin their usual mode of 
existence. These huts will be on the ground, and 
will be damp and wretched, but all agree that this 
is all that can be done just now. (Interrupted here 
to see two missionaries with two lady helps.) 

Monday, loth. — The Sultan is complicating our 
bazaar terribly. At the last moment he goes and 
buys hundreds of pounds' worth of things, here, and 
sets up a stall with Madame Hobe to sell for him 1 
and we have such lots of things, and want buyers I 
I always feel he may spring a mine on us and ruin 
everything ! It is dreadful having to do with people 
who live out of the world and don't know how to do 
things. 

I continue to be too busy, and am also in a great 
state of mind about the boxes for the bazaar. Two 
of the most important have not arrived. I have 
sold six hundred pounds' worth of tickets for the tree, 
and am only alarmed lest 2,000 people should come. 
Several people have many tickets, so I hope there 



1883] THE BAZAAR 317 

will not be more than a thousand people to draw. 
Even that is fearful. Then there are to be tableaux 
vivants against which we all struggled to no purpose ; 
and, not to appear disagreeable about it, I am letting 
two of the children appear in them. They are to be 
a Marquis and a Marquise (Louis XV), and are to do, 
in four tableaux, Le Mariage d, la Mode. 

I still have endless writing, for, though I have 
stopped the sale of tickets, there is a great deal to do 
in connection with them. 

December 2^th. — I write at the end of the week, 
and have to tell you about the bazaar, which occupied 
all my thoughts and all my time for several days. 

On Monday I began my preparations, but I need 
only try to describe to you the finished effect of my 
stall. Behind it were three panels which were hung 
and draped in crimson. In the side ones there were 
beautiful embroideries at the top, and shelves of 
china for sale. In the centre one a portrait of the 
Sultan's father (as none of himself could be found) 
and at the foot of it a stand of flowers. There was 
no table in front of this centre panel, but on either 
side of it I had large tables covered with crimson and 
draped with oriental material, and at each end large 
Stageres. 

Germany was selling Japanese and Spanish things, 
and her young ladies were in costume. France had 
only expensive things, and I don't know yet what she 
made. 

Neither the Lord Mayor of London's box nor a 
large order I had sent to England had arrived, and 
I was dependent upon a handsome present I had 
from Mr. Pender and upon £$0 of china I had bought 
myself to begin with. 

With this I opened on Thursday at one o'clock. 
There really were not a great many people there, 
but my china was soon cleared, and I was glad when, 



3i8 THE BAZAAR [ch. v. 

about three o'clock, I heard the Lord Mayor's box 
had arrived and I could replenish my tables for the 
evening. 

It contained a curious lot of things, many of them 
highly appreciated : soap, needles, blacking, knife- 
polish, a bed, biscuits, etc. We sold from eight till 
eleven, and I was again getting very low in the world 
when a box of really very pretty fancy-work arrived, 
and so I got on till Friday. I was in despair then to 
see how little I had left, when lo ! my last case reached 
the Embassy at one o'clock. Katie and Blackwell 
unpacked and priced it and sent it on to me. When 
the people saw the things coming in they rushed to 
my stall, and I could scarcely take the things out 
before they were seized : the writing-paper which I 
had sent for had an enormous success, but I had to 
sell in such a hurry that I let it go rather too cheap. 
Had I been able to take the things out quietly and 
price them I should have made more. 

Nelly worked hard, and did wonders with her Fish- 
pond. She took eighty-five pounds in francs. All 
our Embassy were so nice, as they always are, and 
helped with all their might. Mr. Bland and Mr. 
Hardinge worked at the Fish-pond, Mr. and Mrs. 
Goschen helped me, and I had of course several other 
ladies. Mr. Hardinge and Mr. Goschen also did all 
the decoration of my stall. 

The buffet was in the first room and my three 
children helped there. Freddy and Teddie Goschen 
were dressed as cooks, they enjoyed themselves 
immensely and showed great talent for commercial 
pursuits. 

The Austrians had sent their Embassy £300 and 
a case of guns from the Emperor, the Germans ditto, 
and the Sultan bought their gifts for large sums, 
whereas he only spent £20 at my stall, for which I 
gave him things to the value of £16; so I started at 



i883] THE CHRISTMAS TREE 319 

a disadvantage. I feared I should be far behind 
the other stalls ; however, I made (clear profit) at my 
stall ;£474, and, as the Lord Mayor sent £275 through 
me to Tchesme, I count it and make £749. The 
Austrians made ;^6oo with their presents, and the 
Germans ;^4i4 with theirs. We have ;^ 1,999 iri hand, 
and we still have three important stalls to get the 
accounts of. 

I think we all enjoyed this bazaar, and when the 
bell rang at the end of it on Saturday evening I felt 
truly glad that we had got through it and had no 
quarrel or disagreement with anybody. We all 
ended in the best of humours, delighted with our- 
selves and with each other and with the success of 
the undertaking ! 

And now I have to devote myself to the Tree. 

Friday, 2Sth. — My last charitable venture for the 
year is over and it was, I am glad to say, a great 
success. I don't think I ever saw a prettier sight 
than the Hall and its Christmas-tree were. The 
Hall is an inner court paved with marble and roofed 
with glass. It is the whole height of the house, and 
was eminently safe and suitable for a gigantic Christ- 
mas-tree. It was decorated with flags and had a 
line of little lamps all the way round it and Chinese 
lanterns hung across it, so that there was a great deal 
of colour about it. The tree was very tall, and was 
covered with glass balls and gold fishes and little 
flags and small lamps and all sorts of ornaments and 
bon-bon boxes, and at one end of the Hall was a 
long table with 1,100 presents spread upon it. A band 
played, and there were crowds of people, and it made 
over ;^700 pounds. 

The decoration took two days, we all worked at it, 
and it was very amusing. I am glad, however, to 
have all these great labours over. I may now give 
you the sum-total of what I have helped to make in 



320 TOTAL PROFITS [ch. v 

charitable entertainments this year. It is a curious 
chance that I should have been asked to manage 
so many things in so short a time. I write " I," 
but I could not have succeeded in any of these things 
but for D.'s sympathy and support, and the help I 
had from all our Embassy. Every one worked hard 
to make these efforts successful. 



Ball at Cairo ...... 

Church at Cairo : Garden FSte . . , 

Fish-pond, London, for English Church at Berlin 
Concert : Tchesme, Constantinople 
Bazaar : Tchesm6, Constantinople 
Christmas Tree : Fire at Haskeui . 



;£2,400 

1,900 

2,700 

700 

Sent through me by Lord Mayor of London for 

Tchesm6 ....... 275 

Clear profits . . ..... i^.5'i■^ 



The weather is perfectly odious, so wet and cold. 
The children have had a very happy time, first the 
bazaar, which was a great pleasure to the little 
cooks, then a Christmas-tree at the Germans' and 
a tea-party at the Greeks* (whom they helped at 
the bazaar) then our Christmas festivities, and lastly 
our gfeat Tree, and now we must all settle down 
quietly, and, as D. says, " return to domestic duties.'* 
Mine have been greatly interrupted, first by the 
amount of writing these things entailed, and then by 
all the putting up of stalls and various decorations. 
I still have innumerable letters of thanks to write. 



CHAPTER VI 

CONSTANTINOPLE 

Saturday, January 4th. — I saw Mr. Wrench about a 
plan for getting out some nurses for this place. I have 
also visited a Greek charity for work-women, and took 
upon me to buy fifty pounds' worth of their clothes 
to send to Tchesm^. I shall probably buy more of 
these, as Ralli Brothers are sending me money from 
Manchester. 

I was trying to keep back some of our bazaar 
funds till April, but the Sultan has issued an Irade 
to say it is to go at once ; so I have handed over 
£2,600 to the care of the Ottoman Bank official and 
the committee at Tchesme. I also send them the 
clothes I buy here.* 

January 26th. — I do not think I have ever men- 
tioned to you our Dorcas Society, a very good inter- 
national charity here, managed by the English. I 
have been attending the meetings, and proposed some 
new rules which were passed by the Committee ; upon 
which the President retired, and left me to carry out 
the reforms myself, which I now have to do. 

I put all our books before the manager of the Bank 
here and asked him and two other men to start us 
with a clear method of keeping all the necessary 

* The distribution was most carefully done by the delegates, and 
receipts were taken for every penny that was given out. When all 
was finished the whole of these receipts were sent me in a book. — H. D. 

321 



322 THE DORCAS SOCIETY [ch. vi 

records and accounts of the Society ; there were 
other questions for them to decide, and it is very satis- 
factory to have this Court of Appeal estabhshed. 

We are by way of giving needlework to the poor 
women, but there never seemed to be any to give, so, 
in the hope of getting regular orders, I wrote to the 
prison, the Hospital, the Sailors' Home, and the 
Bank, and have already got the prison clothes and all 
the money-bags at the Bank — a good beginning. 

January 31st, — ^We are working at two plays we 
mean to do in about a fortnight : My Uncle's Will, 
and Our Bitterest Foe ; so we have rehearsals for 
these, and there are a good many gaieties going on, 
as all the Embassies and Legations have dances 
during the season here — amongst other things, a Ball 
at the Russian Embassy and the tableaux vivants for 
the Haskeui fire. They were very pretty and suc- 
cessful and I thought my two children looked charm- 
ing in their four scenes oi Mariage d la Mode. 

Monday, loth. — I went to the " Dorcas Meeting " 
and found the house invaded by " cases." They 
lined the stairs and filled the hall, and as they all 
speak unknown tongues I looked on in bewilderment. 
However, the Financial Committee arrived with the 
new books, and it was delightful to see order coming 
into the concern. I also went to see two of our 
cases at a small hospital, which is nicely kept. It 
is called the " Geremiah " — not after the prophet, as 
you may see by the G. 

Friday, March 6th. — ^The Bishop of Gibraltar came 
to stay with us. He told us that his diocese spreads 
from Gibraltar to Tiflis. He has no home, and is 
always travelling. Once when asked by some one 
where his palace was, he replied, " My palace is in my 
portmanteau." " Oh ! " said the lady, " I thought I 
knew all the ports of the Mediterranean, but I never 
heard of Port Manteau." Before being made bishop 



» 



i884] THE DORCAS SOCIETY 323 

he had a very small parish, about which he always 
walked. When about to leave it he tried to explain 
to an old woman the size of his new " parish," and, 
having taken it well in, she said, " Well, you'll have to 
keep a pony now." His name is Sandford, and he 
used to be a great cricketer. He and D. were at 
Christchurch together. 

Monday, iSth. — Lord and Lady Wolmer arrived 
here this morning in a snowstorm, and were very wet 
and cold when they got here. 

Friday, 22nd. — ^They went to the Selamnik and 
had a great day with the Sultan. Having heard that 
Lady Wolmer was Lord Salisbury's daughter, he 
treated them with the greatest distinction, saw them 
both, sent them round his stables, in charge of Osman 
and Dervish Pasha, General Hobe, and Munir Bey, 
gave them lunch in a kiosk in his garden, wanted to 
decorate them both, sent them back in his carriage, 
and said all his horses and carriages were at their 
disposal while they remained here. 

We had the theatricals I told you of, and a dance 
after. I have such a very good " Company " in the 
Embassy here that we make this our special kind of 
entertainment. Both our plays were very much 
liked, and of course we enjoyed doing them. 

March 6th. — ^The Grand Rabbi came to thank me 
for my exertions on behalf of his people. Ancient 
history by this time ; the Christmas-tree was for them ! 

April gth. — Nelly and I started for Athens to-day. 
The wind howled in a way that made us dread 
the passage, but I am happy to say it turned out 
to be a purely local gale. D. came on board to 
see us off, and we found Count Corti there. It was 
an Italian ship, so he was giving orders for our 
comfort. The Captain in consequence looked after us 
well, and, finding I would not have any tea in the 
evening, suggested " one poonch." 



324 ATHENS [ch. vi 

Friday, nth. — ^We arrived early at Athens, and 
Arthur, who is " in charge " here, came down to fetch 
us at eight a.m. We found Katie looking very well. 
He took Nelly and me a drive in the afternoon, and 
showed her one or two sights, but as I must have given 
my impressions of all I saw here two years ago, I wash 
my hands of all attempt at description of places or 
things, and keep to the purely domestic details. 

Saturday, 12th. — I felt bound to call upon all the 
Diplomats and people I had known here before, so I 
visited first. Miss Tricoupi, the sister, counsellor, and 
secretary of the Prime Minister. 

Monday, i6th. — ^The day was lovely, and we drove 
to Daphne, and looked at the Bay of Salamis, and 
on our return Nelly and Arthur energetically climbed 
up Lykabettus, and only came back in time for dinner. 

Friday, i8th. — ^We heard vague rumours of pro- 
cessions on this (Greek) Good Friday night, but every 
one said they were not worth seeing. However, just 
as we were saying good-night we heard a band playing, 
and we went out on the balcony to see what was going 
on. All the houses near had people on the balconies 
holding lighted candles, there were rockets going up 
and stars walking about in the distance ; so we decided 
to put on morning gowns and go out to look. We were 
a little late for the best part of the performance, but 
we saw a great deal that was interesting. It seems 
that at a certain hour crowds meet in the Cathedral 
and then they break into separate processions, every 
person carrying a lighted taper, and all following a 
bier or a representation of the dead Christ. Each 
procession walks round its own church, and all the 
houses on the streets are illuminated and the balconies 
crowded, and, as you look up at them you see hands 
moving quickly as they make the sign of the cross. 
It really is a very striking thing, this universal illumina- 
tion, especially when one remembers what the object 



i884] RETURN TO CONSTANTINOPLE 325 

of it is, and the walking candlesticks have a fine 
effect as they go down a street. Men, women, and 
children were all out, and every one had a candle. 
There was not, however, anything very reUgious in 
the appearance of the people. They were quiet, 
orderly, and good-tempered, but not at all solemn or 
overawed. Last year the Prime Minister tried to put 
an end to this custom, but it evidently is considered 
a national one, and he failed utterly. Fireworks of 
all kinds went on day and night, and with each pro- 
cession a band played minor music, while regiments of 
soldiers walked with them. 

April 2gth. — Safe back home again ! and very nice 
it is. Every one so glad to see us, and D. declaring 
that his house had been intolerably lonely ! He had 
also been listening to a howling wind and pitying us, 
but we really had a lovely passage. The journey 
from Athens is an interesting one, for all the " out-of- 
sight-of-land " part is in the night, and all the day 
one sees terra-firma, and, as an enthusiastic tourist 
kept telling me, " the most classic spots you can look 
upon." Tenedos, the Plains of Troy, Europe and 
Asia within pistol-shot of each other, etc., etc., and 
then, when you have passed through the Dardanelles, 
you come upon the islands of the Marmora . 

We were very thankful for the good weather, for 
our Captain told us there was absolutely nothing in 
the ship, and she would have rolled pitilessly on the 
smallest provocation. 

I found it summer here, and our garden was so 
nice in the afternoon that we had tea there. 

Friday, 2$th. — ^The Bishop of Gibraltar consecrated 
our little church at Therapia to-day, " St. Mary's." 
We all went down there in the Bittern, lunched 
at Therapia, and got back at six, having called on 
Princess Halim on our way back. The children 
enjoyed themselves on board ship immensely, and 



326 OUR GARDEN [Ch. vi 

the grown-up people liked the holiday. Unfortu- 
nately, there was some Black Sea fog which was chilly. 
The church looked very nice, and the four clergymen 
were almost too many for it. 

May $th. — ^We had some more theatricals and this 
time did The Happy Pair, and Our Wife, the latter 
a costume piece. We introduced the Singing quad- 
rilles and part of a minuet, and the whole was very 
pretty and a great success. 

May 6th. — ^We went to hear a Russian choir of 
forty-five — girls, boys, men, and women. It was at 
the Russian Embassy. All the singers wore gorgeous 
costumes, ancient Tartar ones, and Slavanski, the 
leader, standing on a raised stool looked like a splendid 
oriental Sovereign. The sight was very fine, and the 
singing beautiful. The audience was most enthusi- 
astic, and encored them over and over again. 

May iSth. — Mrs. Goschen, Nelly, and I spent the 
day in the garden, and a good number of people came 
to see us, and walked about enjojdng this oasis in the 
middle of Pera. It is lovely at this time of the year. 
There are successions of flowering trees ; directly the 
Judas tree is over, the acacias and chestnuts, pink 
and white, come out. I do not know whether the 
" Judas " tree is peculiar to the Bosphorus or not, 
but at any rate there are great quantities of it along 
its banks. It is a good-sized tree, and when in flower 
it is a pink mass. The leaves come later, and for a 
time the flowers monopolise the whole of the tree, 
sometimes even creeping on to the trunk and appear- 
ing in bright patches on the rough bark. We had 
half an hour's excitement pursuing Nelly's parrot, 
which had escaped, but which was finally captured 
and brought down wrapped in a shawl from the top 
of a high tree. 

May 2gth. — ^We lent the garden to Mrs. Newman 
for a Charity Fete in aid of her school for bringing up 



1884] OUR YACHTS 327 

destitute girls as servants. The weather kept us 
very anxious beforehand, but happily it was a very 
nice day, and all the people who came seemed to 
enjoy it. There was a band in one part of the garden 
and in another there was singing to be heard, English 
glees and German songs. There were a refreshment 
table and a bran- tub. The garden looked very gay, 
and the charity thinks it has made ^118. 

Friday, T,oth. — ^The weather causes us the greatest 
anxiety. It is simply vile, and we were all ready to 
start on a yachting expedition, about which I shall 
send you a separate letter, when it comes off. 

Saturday, May 315^. — Fine ! We made sure of 
that, early in the morning, and by ten o'clock we 
were all ready to start. We ladies had on our sea- 
gowns, and the gentlemen appeared in navy blue and 
nautical buttons. Numerous little bags and parcels, 
hampers, and tin cases were sent off, and then we 
followed, driving down to Tophane. I joined D. in 
the Hermione, and received a farewell visit from the 
Russian Ambassador on board. He was much struck 
with the fact of our going quite alone, and with the 
appearance of my cabin, which during the day is full 
of ropes and boats, and wheels, etc., and looks very 
unlike a lady's bedroom. It really is a covered well, 
for the Hermione is only 2| tons, and the Tilburina 
10 tons ; she is owned by Mr. Goschen and Mr. 
Hardinge. We had a delightful sail to the Islands 
and reached our harbour in time for lunch ; we got 
out all our pots and pans, and settled that this meal 
should be a cold one, but that at all future times 
hot dishes should be provided (cooked by ourselves). 
D. went out sailing again, but Mr. and Mrs. Goschen, 
Mr. Hardinge, and I went on shore and enjoyed the 
pine woods and the view, and the change from town. 
Our island, " Halki," is a very pretty one, and, except 
for a college on the heights, it looks quite countrified. 
22 



328 A YACHTING TOUR [ch. vi 

D. came back in time to give us some tea on the 
Hermione, and then we soon had to begin our cooking 
for dinner. After dinner we sat out in the moonlight 
till bedtime. 

Sunday, June ist. — ^Mr. Hardinge made a large 
supply of cocoa, and sent us up a bowl-full, supplying 
his own ship too. When we were dressed we rowed 
about the bay, and examined the coast to see how 
near the ships could get in. Then we sailed round 
the island of Antigone, D. and I getting back at six, 
the others rather sooner. We took a lovely walk on 
shore ; the scenery is very Italian, and one feels far 
away from Constantinople. 

Monday, June 2nd. — Having had our early cocoa 
and a row, and our breakfast, we went for another 
row in the Tilburina's gig, and, leaving the harbour, 
went close round the coast of the island, which is 
very rocky and precipitous. We gazed down at the 
bottom of the sea, which was perfectly lovely with 
many-coloured seaweeds. Then we sailed again, the 
wind being very light, and made for Mal-Tepe, a 
village on the coast of Asia, where we settled to lunch. 
There we sat for some time, looking at the ceremony of 
blessing a new boat, which was being performed close 
to us — at some boats with a mast in each, on the top 
of which a man stood, looking out for sword-fish, 
and at the village which lay before us. When we 
did start we only flopped about for an hour or so, 
when the steam launch, which had been ordered to 
come and look for us to-day, if it were calm, was 
descried in the distance, and, coming up to us, took 
us back. We got home at 9 p.m., and all dined 
together in our yachting garments, and with very 
burnt faces and hands. 

I forgot to mention that, as we lay at anchor in the 
harbour on the first night, a long caique suddenly 
came round the bay ; it was filled with men, and there 



1884] CARRIAGE ACCIDENT 329 

was one standing up dancing very gracefully. He 
looked most picturesque in the moonlight. 

Tuesday, -^rd. — D. had a very narrow escape of an 
accident. He took a hired carriage to go down to his 
boat. The road is very steep, and is in fearfully bad 
order ; the horses ran away, banged the carriage up 
against a house, which bump just gave D. and Mr. 
Macferran time to get out. They then rushed against 
another building, knocking the coachman off, and 
went wildly down the very crowded street. Several 
people were hurt, and the populace got so angry about 
it that when the coachman came running after his 
carriage they seized him and would have beaten him 
badly had not D. tucked him under his arm and 
gesticulated to them. The man was handed over to 
the safe keeping of the police, and some one whispered 
to D. in French, " You had better get away as quickly 
as you can," which he did. 

When he came home he went and got the coachman 
released, and explained that he had behaved very 
well. The Sultan sent his Chamberlain to inquire 
the moment he heard of D.'s accident, and, as all the 
Ambassadors and Ambassadresses kept pouring in 
congratulations, I began to understand that he really 
had had a narrow escape, and that, sitting peacefully 
in the garden I had very little idea of the gravity of 
the circumstances. 

June gth. — ^The Pera season is ended and to-day 
we are preparing for our move to Therapia. 

Tuesday, June loth. — ^We left Pera at 10 a.m., 
and went on board the Bittern, where Count Corti 
joined us for a trip to Broussa, while our move to 
Therapia is being made. The children were to spend 
the day at Kadikeui, and to-morrow they go to 
Therapia, We had a delightful day on board. Cap- 
tain Mann made us very comfortable, and it was 
perfectly calm, not too hot, and very pretty. We 



330 BROUSSA [CH. vi 

reached Mudania at four, and got into a carriage 
for a three-hours' drive. We had one of " Cook's " 
dragomans to make all the arrangements for us. 

Broussa is at the foot of Mount Olympus, and all 
the scenery surrounding it and on the way there, is 
quite beautiful. Our ideas of Asiatic scenery were 
quite at fault, for, in the first place, we edged along a 
thunderstorm all the way, and, instead of burning sun, 
dust, and barrenness, we had a rather clouded sky, 
a very damp road, and the greenest vegetation one 
could wish for. In fact, the freshness of everything 
strikes one very much. From our Hotel (Bellevue), 
we look over a magnificent plain, bounded by moun- 
tains which are green to the summit, and covered 
with fine trees, walnut, maple, oak, and very splendid 
Cyprus, which rise up here and there to break the 
outline. 

The village itself is set amongst trees, and the 
innumerable mosques and minarets add to its beauty 
and picturesqueness. On the way we halted for ten 
minutes under a grove of oaks, but the thunder-shower 
had left this rather a damp oasis. It was curious 
what luck we had in just missing the storm ; we faced 
the heavy downpour all the way, and seemed to drive 
towafds the rainbow without ever getting into the 
rain. We were very glad of our dinner when we 
arrived, and very glad to see how nice and clean the 
Hotel looked. 

Wednesday, nth. — More thunder showers going on, 
and, instead of being baked, as we expected to be, we 
are quite cool, and, joyful fact I there are no mosquitoes. 
I look out of my window the first thing, and, though 
I am filled with admiration at the view, I shake my 
head over the clouds that are about, and Nelly 
reproaches me with having advised her to bring a 
summer gown instead of a nice warm one. We had 
a good little breakfast, and then started on a tour of 



i884] BROUSSA 33i 

sight-seeing. This consists principally in visiting 
mosques and tombs. One of each will suffice to give 
you an idea of what we saw. First the " Green 
Mosque," so called because the tomb of the Sultan 
who built it is close to it, and is a good-sized, 
dome-covered building, entirely covered with " green " 
(really blue) tiles. The windows and doors of this 
mosque are surrounded by delicate carvings in stone, 
and there are some of the most beautiful old tiles 
which exist. Even the unlearned can appreciate 
the merits of an enamel which makes the tile look 
transparent, and which, in addition to a lovely colour 
for the ground, adds a variety of different designs for 
borders and frames. There is a dado of these old 
tiles all round the mosque, a sort of arched recess in 
the centre which reaches to the top and is all covered 
by them, and then there are little chapels off the central 
church decorated in the same way. 

It is the finest old monument remaining in Turkey. 
The shuffling about in slippers which will come off, 
is the most troublesome part of mosque-seeing. The 
tombs I spoke of are circular buildings with graves 
inside, or coffins laid out. The sultan is in the middle 
and his family at his feet. 

We saw many more, but the really interesting part 
always is the magnificent view that meets one's eyes 
in every direction. 

D. wanted to take a sulphur bath, so we left him, 
and I went in to see what the women's baths looked 
like. There was a very hot room with a number of 
tubs of water in it, and outside were divans in which 
two or three ladies were reposing. There was one 
very pretty young woman, who, with very rosy cheeks 
and dark eyes, looked nice in her " Turkish towel " 
robe. This, however, was a very small " bath," and 
Mrs. Longworth, who came in after lunch, offered 
to show me a big one, so Nelly and I went off to see 



332 BROUSSA [ch. vi 

it. In the first room we entered we found crowds of 
women and children sitting in various stages of dress 
and undress on raised platforms which went all round 
the large apartment. Anything less " divine " than 
the human figure as displayed by the ordinary Turkish 
woman under these circumstances can scarcely be 
imagined. They spend their whole day here, once 
a week, and there were babies swung up in impromptu 
hammocks, and infants toddling about the damp floor, 
while the mothers also toddled about lightly clad, or 
sat in loose garments on the dais, or took a little nap. 
I had on a gown which had some distant resemblance 
to a Turkish towel, and this struck them at once, 
and a very fat one came down several steps to feel it. 
The second room was hotter, and, if possible, more 
undressed, and in the third, which was extremely 
hot, was the swimming-bath, a great round place 
filled with natural hot water. This looked rather 
tempting, and I thought of trying one, but scarcely 
liked to make the experiment as I have so short a 
time here. We bought some pottery, and visited 
Lady Strangford after this, and then D. and Nelly 
and I rode a little way up the hill on donkeys 
and got a splendid view of this magnificent plain, 
with its surrounding chains of hills. 

Thursday, June 12th. — In the morning we went 
to the Bazaars, and after lunch D., Nelly and I and 
the Consul's wife mounted donkeys, while Count 
Corti rode the nobler steed, a horse. We were to 
meet Lady Strangford at some lovely spot, and to have 
tea with her. On our way we stopped at a silk factory, 
and I was very much interested in seeing it wound 
off the cocoons, as I found my ideas on the subject 
had been most hazy. Then we rode on, looking all 
the time at the magnificent view, which became more 
and more extensive as we mounted. When we 
reached Lady Strangford we found tea spread out on 



O-yh 





1 
I 



I 



i884l THERAPIA 333 

the ground, and a very good one it was. We sat 
there for some time, and only got back in time for 
dinner. 

Friday, i^th. — We had to be up early, and set off 
to drive back to Mudania, where the Bittern awaited 
us. The weather was lovely, and our whole journey 
to Therapia was most delightful. The house is really 
settled, and so here we are for the summer. 

Tuesday, lyth. — ^Another yacht has been added to 
our fleet. It belongs to Mr. Macferran. Freddy 
considers he has a share in it, and Archie will sail in 
her when he is here. Victoria broke a bottle over 
her and called her the Lady Muriel. 

June 2$th. — ^The Wyndhams are returning. There 
was an alarm that they would be kept in quarantine 
as Syra, and had they gone to Athens they would have 
been kept five days ; but at Smyrna they were less 
particular, so there was great excitement here when 
the children heard they would arrive in the afternoon. 
We all gain companions when they are here. 

Friday, July iSth. — ^We had a long day at sea. At 
ten o'clock we started for the Black Sea, taking our 
lunch in the launch, and ourselves sailing in the yacht 
up to a very pretty bay. When we arrived there at 
half-past one we found our lunch all ready, and we 
spent about an hour before going on. 

We had quite a rough voyage to the Black Sea, a 
great swell, and the waves looked very high from our 
little boat. The Hermione behaved beautifully, and 
went faster than any of them. The launch had gone 
back to fetch our families, and at five we all met at 
the Lazarette station. 

We thought it would be interesting to see it in case 
they begin to use it instead of keeping quarantine on 
the ships. It is a lovely place. 

Saturday, igth. — We spent a quiet day, and after 
dinner had an Embassy " Bee " to tie up parcels for 



334 QUARANTINE [ch. vi 

the " Fish-pond " at our Dorcas F^te. We got 
through 496, which, with those we did last night, 
approaches 600 parcels ! Count Corti came in by 
accident, and was much amused. 

Our boys and Colonel Teesdale, who is bringing a 
horse as a present to the Sultan, are in quarantine. 
Every day we pay them a visit, sitting by the ship 
in a caique and talking to them. We try to take 
them amusements and a little food, for though we 
pay fifteen francs a day each for them during quaran- 
tine, they say everything is very bad. 

Tuesday, 22nd. — Colonel Teesdale came out of 
quarantine, and the horse which he was to present 
to the Sultan got here the same day from Marseilles. 
We expected that he would have to wait some time 
before the Sultan took any notice, but His Majesty 
telegraphed at once for the horse to be brought to 
him ; and, as Colonel Teesdale had first to be found 
and then to be dressed, and to drive all the way to 
the Palace, he got there too late either to see how 
the horse looked after his voyage or to see the Sultan 
himself, and he only got back here when we had 
finished dinner. 

Monday, May 2Sth. — ^Archie came of age to-day, 
and We kept his birthday in a very domestic 
way, all such official demonstrations as used to 
be got up by tenants being over now ! What a 
change since D. came of age, or even since we were 
married ! We had arranged to go in the yacht to 
lunch in one place, and then to sail to another for 
tea, when the children were to meet us, either riding 
or in the launch. We had a most lovely sail, with a 
very good breeze blowing, and landed for lunch at 
two. We sat at it and over it for a good while, 
enjoying the rest, and when the time came we started 
off again and crossed the Bosphorus to the European 
side, saw that all the riders had arrived, and that 



1884] ANOTHER CHARITY FETE 335 

the launch was just coming, and got into small boats 
to row ashore. What was our surprise to find that 
the shore was guarded, and that we were not allowed 
to land on account of the quarantine regulations. 
We explained who we were, and the officer telegraphed 
for instructions, but the answer was " No ! " So 
we all who were on the sea returned to the launch 
and had tea there, while the rest of the party who 
had ridden out to meet us had to ride back again tea- 
less I All the Embassy dined with us, we were 
eighteen, and we drank Archie's health, who replied 
very nicelj'- in a few words, then we were joined by 
the children of the party, and after sending off some 
rockets we went into the round room, and had all sorts 
of games and romps. 

Friday y August ist. — ^The day of my " Dorcas 
Fete." When we went to bed the night was perfectly 
lovely, and I had no sort of fear for the morrow, but 
about 5 a.m. I heard a howling wind, and when 
we got up a deluge was pouring down. I really was 
in despair. Every one had taken such interest in the 
Fdte, and all were looking forward to it, so that it was 
trying to feel that it was going to be spoilt by the 
weather I We settled that it was impossible to 
have it, and so set to to telegraph everywhere to put 
off the special steamers and the band, and sent a 
circular all round to Kadekeui and Candelli and 
Therapia. At twelve I got a reply from Kadekeui : 
"All ready to start; can't come to-morrow." The 
weather was a little better, so we answered " Come." 
Then we tried to put the Fete on again, chose a dry 
(comparatively) spot for tables and band, and deter- 
mined to make the best of it. The end of it was that 
the afternoon was excessively lively, that every one 
enjoyed themselves immensely, and that we made 

Saturday, 2nd. — ^The rain yesterday morning turned 



336 AN IMPORTANT TELEGRAM [ch. vi 

my F^te into a two-days' entertainment, but the 
second was quite different and quite as amusing as 
the first. Altogether, in spite of overwhelming 
misfortunes at the beginning, my " Dorcas Fete " as 
an entertainment went off beautifully, and was a 
financial success, having made £41$. But I can see 
now what a splendid thing it would have been if Friday 
had been fine. The whole neighbourhood would have 
come, and people would have enjoyed it so ! 

August nth. — On returning from the Porte to-day 
D. found a telegram offering him the Viceroyalty of 
India. This has to be kept secret for the present. 

August 26th. — The Antelope is gone (superannuated), 
and the new Embassy Yacht H.M.S. Imogene arrived 
to-day. Captain Gough is in command of her. 

August 2'jth. — I was fired with ambition to have a 
Regatta at Therapia, and it was decided that it should 
be here ; but the " Press " thought Buyukdere was 
the proper place for it, and in one newspaper, after 
eloquently describing the merits of the one place and 
the defects of the other, it went on to say that it was 
" not because men thought themselves capable of 
calming for one day the violence of the wind, or of 
diminishing the force of the current, or of changing 
the mouth of the Black Sea, or of enlarging the poor 
quays of Therapia. No ! the only reason for this 
illogical decision was that the English Ambassadress 
le veut." 

*' Devant la volonte d'une dame le comite s'est 
incline, et en faisant cela ces messieurs ont agi en 
gentleman." The writer also " submits," but asks 
whether " Ces fagons r^gences seront-elles adoptees 
par les ^l^ments ? Nous en doutons, car ils sont 
diablement mal eleves." 

After this you will be pleased to hear that the 
weather was lovely. We had the right wind for 
Therapia, and the wrong one for Buyukdere, and 



1884] FAREWELL TO CONSTANTINOPLE 337 

" the oldest inhabitant " had never seen so many 
people there before. The Bosphorus was covered 
with boats, and it was a beautiful sight. Even the 
enemy acknowledged the success of the day. In the 
evening Archie let off some fireworks from our 
balcony, but by misfortune the sparks from one rocket 
fell on a bundle of others and these went off one after 
the other in a most alarming manner. Happily no 
damage was done. 

September loth. — D.'s appointment to the Vice- 
royalty of India was announced. 

September 12th. — ^We gave a farewell garden party 
to the British colony and the Diplomatic Body, and 
until the sixteenth, when we left Constantinople, we 
were very busy preparing for our departure — too busy 
to continue this journal. 



INDEX 



Abbasiyeh, 254 

Abdul Aziz, Sultan, trial of his 
murderers, 135 

Abdul Hamid, Sultan of Turkey, 
receives Lord Dufferin, 130, 163, 
299, 301 ; dinner-parties, 131, 
302-305 ; goes to mosque, 161, 
171 ; appearance, 161, 303 ; 
protests against Lord Dufferin 
leaving, 231 ; requests Lady 
Dufferin to arrange a concert, 
304-307 ; takes tickets, 310 ; 
receives Lord and Lady Wol- 
mer, 323 

Adlerberg, Countess, 27, 41 

Albert Victor, H.R.H. Prince, at 
Athens, 200 

Alexander II, Emperor of Russia, 
receives Lord Dufferin, 15 ; 
meeting with Lord and Lady 
Dufferin, 24 ; appearance, 24 ; 
dinner-parties, 25, 77 ; at- 
tempts on his life, 31, 65, 109 ; 
at the army manoeuvres, 43-50 ; 
25th anniversary of his reign, 
68 ; at the" Chevaliers Gardes" 
fete-day, 79 ; presents, 87 ; 
review of troops, 88 ; at the 
funeral of the Empress, 100 ; 
assassinated, no ; funeral cere- 
monies, 111-117 

Alexander III, Emperor of Russia, 
receives Lord Dufferin, 17 ; 
proclamation, no; at the 
funeral of Emperor Alexander 
II, 113; Order of the Garter 
conferred, 117 

Alexandra, Queen, likeness to her 
sister, 25 ; arrival at Petro- 
grad, 115 ; at the funeral of 
Alexander II, 116 ; appearance, 
117, 121 ; entertained at lunch 
by Lord and Lady Dufferin, 
117 ; leaves Petrograd, 122 



Alexandra, the, 125 
Alexandre, M., 294 
Alexandria, 233, 299 ; Charity 

Ball in aid of the poor, ^'j'^-t.'j^ ; 

result, 276 
Alexis, Grand Duke, 77 
Alison, Lady, 243, 271 
Alison, Sir Archibald, 243 ; at 

Tel-el-Kebir, 258 
Allan, Sir H. Havelock, anecdote 

of, 249 
Ambassador at Petrograd, rules 

for the, 8-1 1 
Ambassadress at Petrograd, rules 

for the, 9 
Amenhotep III, statues of, 286 
Antelope, H.M.S., 125, 130, 132, 

137, 141, 145, 150, 210, 221, 

227, 232, 336 ; Fancy Ball given 

on board the, 149 ; accident 

to, 163, 188 ; dinner given by 

the officers of, 166 
Antigone, island of, 328 
Apraxine, Count, 119 
Arabi, ovation at Cairo, 265 
Arbuthnot, Gen. and Mrs., at 

Heluan, 268 
Ardagh, Major, at the Pyramids, 

241 
Armeni, M. Brailas, 12 
Armenian boys, their performance, 

190 
Army manoeuvres, Russian, 43- 

50 ; Parade, 88 
Arva, the, 193 

Asia, 134 ; Sweet Waters of, 219 
Assiout, 281, 292 
Assym Pasha, Minister for Foreign 

Affairs, 172 
Athens, 193, 324 ; Academy, 

199 ; House of Commons, 198 ; 

Palace, ball at, 194 ; religious 

procession at, 324 
Augusta, Empress of Germany, 



339 



340 



INDEX 



2 ; receives Lady DufEerin, 4, 
124 ; boudoir, 4 ; dinner-party, 
5 ; dress, 5 

Austrian Embassy, Constantino- 
ple, ball at the, 182 

Ava, Archibald, Earl of, at 
Moscow, 89 ; Merikiill, 102 ; 
costume at a Fancy Ball, 148 ; 
swims across the Bosphorus, 
152 ; fishing expedition, 224 ; 
celebration of his coming of age, 
334 ; lets ofE fireworks at the 
Regatta, 337 

Azim Pasha, 132 

B., Mr. and Mrs., life in a dahabi- 
yeh, 259 

Bacchante, the, 201 

Bairam, the first, 154 ; the 
second, 168, 170 

Baker, Colonel James, takes part 
in The Critic, 177 

Baker, Mrs. Valentine, 211, 225 

Baker, Sir Valentine, 211 

Bariatinski, Madame, 22 

Bariatinski, Prince Victor, 202 

Barnes, Mr., 239 

Barthoieyns, Madame, death of, 
185 ; grave, 192 

Barthoieyns, Miss, 141 

Bath, John, fourth Marquis of, 
expedition to Prinkipo, 141 

Bazaar, a Charity, at Constanti- 
nople, 317-319 ; result, 320 

Bechlolsheim, Baron, 80 

Beikos, 139, 154, 228 ; palace, 

154 
Belgrade. Forest, 129, 144, 228 
Beni-Hassan, 292 
Bennelt, Gordon, 217 
Beresford, Lord and Lady Charles, 

at Cairo, 249 
Berlin, i, 52, 123 ; the palace, 3- 

5 ; theatre, 5 ; National Gal- 
lery, 6 
Bickford, Mr., 125 
Binney, Mr., Consul at Syra, 232 
Bismarck, Count Herbert, 6 
Bismarck, Prince, receives Lord 

Dufferin, 2, 55 ; appearance, 3 ; 

dinner-party, 6 
Bittern, the, 325, 329, 333 
Black Sea, 128, 137, 138, 145, 147, 

163, 218, 229, 333 
Blackwell, Miss, 198 ; adventure 

at Pera, 150 ; passion for work, 

177 ; result of her journey up 

the Nile, 294 



Blackwood, Lady Helen, at Paris, 
51 ; Petrograd, 56 ; the Car- 
nival, 71 ; at Moscow, 89 ; at 
the funeral of Alexander II, 
116 ; meeting with the Princess 
of Wales, 118 ; at Constanti- 
nople, 140 ; takes part in The 
Critic, 177 ; yachting expedi- 
tion, 217 ; at Cairo, 235 ; first 
dinner-party, 238 ; ascends the 
Pyramids, 242 ; at the hospital, 
243 ; dines at the Abdin Palace, 
248 ; Oriental dress, 260, 264 ; 
at the races, 267 ; the Charity 
Ball, 274 ; journey up the Nile, 
280, 293 ; dines with the Sultan, 

303 ; admonition from him, 

304 ; result of her Fishpond at 
the bazaar, 318 ; at Athens, 
324 ; Broussa, 330-333 

Blackwood, Lady Hermione, at 
Petrograd, 54 ; Merikull, 102 ; 
Cairo, 254 ; opinion of Brugsch 
Bey, 271 

Blackwood, Lady Victoria, at 
Petrograd, 53 ; dancing lesson, 
54 ; story of, 63 ; presents a 
bouquet to the Duchess of Edin- 
burgh, 69 ; attack of whooping- 
cough, 85 ; at Constantinople, 
132 ; opinion of yashmaks, 
190 ; at Cairo, 253 ; christens 
the Lady Muriel, 333 

Blackwood, Lord Basil, at Petro- 
grad, 54, 60 

Blackwood, Lord Frederick, at 
Petrograd, 60 ; attack of whoop- 
ing cough, 85 ; at Merikiill, 
103 ; Constantinople, 132 ; falls 
from his donkey, 140 ; takes 
part in tableaux, 161 ; in The 
Critic, 178; story of, 179; 
letter to Mr. M. Wallace, 214 ; 
at Cairo, 253 ; attack of 
jaundice, 267 ; journey up the 
Nile, 281, 283 ; opinion of Miss 
Colvin, 295 ; at the charity 
bazaar, 318 

Blackwood, Lord Terence, 104 ; 
costume at a Fancy Ball, 
149 

Bland, Mr., takes part in The 
Critic, 177 ; on board the Arva, 
193 ; at Athens, 193 ; yachting 
expeditions, 217, 224 ; at a 
Fancy Dress Ball, 264 ; journey 
up the Nile, 280, 294 ; at the 
charity bazaar, 318 



INDEX 



341 



Block, Mr., takes part in The 

Critic, 177 
Bobrinski, Count, 89, 91 
Boccaccio, performance of, 277 
Boehler, Count, 90 
Bosphorus, the, 128, 129, 141, 145, 

163, 218, 229, 334, 337 
Boulak Museum, Cairo, 270 
Bourke, Hon. R., takes part in 

The Critic, 177 
Brassey, Lady, at Cairo, 267 
Broussa, 329, 330; the " Green 

Mosque," 331 ; sulphur baths, 

331 
Brugsch Bey, 270 
Budberg, Baron and Baronne de, 

22 
Bulgaria, Prince of, 65 
Bulwer, Sir Henry, house on a 

rock}'- island, 226 
Bulwer's Island, 223, 226 
Burke, Mr., 125 
Burton, Mr., 241 
Butcher, Dean, 240 
Butler, Mr., 131 
Buyukdere, French play at, 139 



Cairo, 235 ; Artillery Barracks, 
241 ; bazaars, 240 ; charity 
ball, 273-275, 320 ; church, 
garden-fSte in aid of, 277- 
279, 320 ; citadel, 239 ; Gym- 
kana, 250 ; Highland Sports, 
260 ; Holy Carpet, return from 
Mecca, 264-266 ; hospital, 240, 
241, 243 ; Pyramids, 241 ; 
theatre, 247 

Calici, Baron, 219 ; on the ques- 
tion of precedence, 306 ; dines 
with Lord and Lady Dufferin, 
308 

Calici, Madame, 307 

Candili, 138 

Capercailzie, stalking, 83 

Carnock, Lord, 140, 177 w 

Cartwright, Mr., 247 

Catawe, Mr., 243 

Catherine II, Empress of Russia, 
portrait of, 121 

Catherine Michailovna, Grand 
Duchess, receives Lord and 
Lady Dufferin, 18 ; at Oranien- 
baum, 42 

Cavass, use of a, 170 

Cemetery, a Turkish, 189 

Cephalonia, 125 

Chanak, 127 



Chanzy, General, Ambassador at 
Petrograd, 23 ; dines at the 
Palace, 25 

Chanzy, Madame, 53 ; number of 
foreigners at her receptions, 106 

Chaplin, Mr., at Cairo, 267 

Charteris, Mr., takes part in The 
Critic, 177 

Cherif Pasha, dinner-party, 275 

Chevaliers Gardes, fete-day, 79 

Christmas Tree, at Constantinople, 
319 ; result, 320 

Clandeboye, Archibald, Viscount, 
152. See Ava 

Clark, Mr., 41 ; bear-shooting 
expedition, 74-77 

Clarke, Colonel Stanley, at Petro- 
grad, 115 

Coachmen, in Petrograd dress, 28 

Cockatrice, the, 183 

Collobiano, Count, 177 

Cologne, 51 

Colvin, Miss, journey up the Nile, 
280 ; illness, 294 

Colvin, Sir Auckland, 238 

Comet, view of a, 231 

Compton, Lord William, Secretary 
at Petrograd, 7, 16, 56 ; takes 
part in a troika drive, 55 ; bear- 
shooting expeditions, 69, 80 ; 
at the Carnival, 71 

Condouriotti, Madame, 312 

Connemara, Robert, Baron, 177 n. 

Constantine, Grand Duke, 200 

Constantinople, 127, 201, 301 ; 
Austrian Embassy, ball at the, 
182 ; Bazaar, method of bar- 
gaining, 170 ; British Embassy, 
133. 167 ; charity bazaar, 317- 
319, 320 ; climate, 136 ; con- 
cert, 310, 320 ; dogs, barking of 
the, 169, 179 ; dust-storm, 
168 ; Italian Embassy, 140 ; 
the Palace, 160 ; Persian Em- 
bassy, ball, 183 ; Russian Em- 
bassy, 136; performance of the 
choir at, 326 ; Treasury, 159 ; 
water, supply of, 181 

Cook, Mr., expedition to the 
Serapeum, 251 

Coptic Cathedral, service, 279 

Corry, Miss, lady-in-waiting to the 
Duchess of Edinburgh, 63, 65, 
66 ; at a fancy dress ball, 70 ; 
long hours of standing, 85 ; 
sporting expedition, 81-83 

Corti, Count, 323, 329, 334 ; 
dinner-party, 140, 218 ; ex- 



342 



INDEX 



pedition to Prinkipo, 141 ; at 
Broussa, 332 
Cowell, Sir John, at Petrograd, 

115 
Critic, The, 176 ; caste, 177 ; 

performance, 1 77 
Cronstadt, 40 



Dancing girls, their performance, 
237, 284, 297 

Dantzig, 56 

Dardanelles, the, 300 

Darmstadt, 124 

Davidoff, Prince OrolofE, 22 

Delanoff, Madame, 26 

Denderah, temple at, 292 

Denmark, Crown Prince of, at the 
funeral of the Empress of 
Russia, loi 

Dering, Mr. and Mrs., 2 

Dervishes, dancing, 157-159 ; 
Howling, 164, 191 

Dogs of Constantinople, their 
noise, 169, 179 

Dolgorouki, Princess, 78 

Dorcas Society, 321, 322 ; fete, 
335 ; result, 336 

Dreuteln, General, attempts on his 
life, 23 

Due, M. and Madame, 27 

Dufferin and Ava, Frederick, first 
Marquis of, at Berlin, 1-7, 123 ; 
Petrograd, 7, 55 ; audience with 
the Emperor, 15 ; presented to 
the Cesarevitch, 18 ; audiences, 
18-20 ; at Tsarskoe-Seloe, 38, 
43 ; Peterhof, 39, 103 ; Cron- 
stadt," 40 ; at a fete in the 
Summer Gardens, 41 ; at Ora- 
nienbaum, 42 ; Krasnol, 43 ; 
present at the army manoeuvres, 
43-50 ; at the play, 45, 47, 51, 
85 ; shooting, 48 ; return to 
England, 51, 299 ; official re- 
ception, 58 ; presented with 
a sword, 64 ; bear-shooting 
expeditions, 73-77, 80, 105 ; 
stalking capercailzie, 83 ; at 
Moscow, 89-99 ; Merikiill, 102 ; 
Schliisselburg, 103 ; receives 
the Prince and Princess of 
Wales, 115 ; at the funeral of 
Alexander II, 116 ; presides at 
a missionary meeting, 120 ; ap- 
pointed Ambassador at Con- 
stantinople, 122 ; leaves Petro- 
grad, 123 ; received by the 



Emperor of Germany, 123 ; at 
Constantinople, 127 ; received 
by the Sultan, 130, 163, 231, 
299, 301 ; dines at the palace, 
131, 197, 200, 302-305 ; official 
visit to the Porte, 132 ; re- 
ceives two veiled Turkish ladies, 
137 ; dress at a Fancy Ball, 
148 ; at the Selamnik, 171 ; 
account of a Persian ceremony, 
174-176 ; at the funeral of 
Captain Selby, 186 ; at Athens, 
193-201 ; yachting expeditions, 
216, 222, 327-329; Confer- 
ences, 216, 218, 227; a day's 
work, 217; treatment of the 
Ministers, 219 ; despatched to 
Egypt, 231 ; at Cairo, 235 ; the 
Pyramids, 242 ; present at the 
return of the Holy Carpet from 
Mecca, 264 ; journey up the 
Nile, 280-295 ; discovery of a 
mummy, 288 ; leaves Cairo, 
299 ; accident to his carriage, 
329 ; at Broussa, 330-333 ; ap- 
pointed Viceroy of India, 336, 

337 
Dufferin and Ava, Harlot, Mar- 
chioness of, at Berlin, 1-7, 52, 
123 ; receives Prince Bismarck, 
3 ; presented to the Emperor 
and Empress of Germany, 4 ; 
dines at the palace, 5 ; with 
Prince Bismarck, 6 ; at Petro- 
grad, 7, 52 ; at the opera, 13, 
78, 251, 271 ; the Embassy, 14 ; 
servants, 14 ; presented to the 
Empress, 15 ; troika drives, 17, 
54. 55. 5^ J presented to the 
Cesarevna, 18 ; audiences, 18- 
20 ; dines at the Italian Em- 
bassy, 21 ; at the German Em- 
bassy, 22, 61 ; meeting with the 
Emperor, 24 ; dines at the 
palace, 25, 77 ; at a concert, 

32 ; sells at a charity bazaar, 

33 ; at a Russian wedding, 37, 
68 ; leaves for England, 38, 
124, 299 ; at Paris, 51 ; at a 
dance, 57, 62, 69, 148, 166, 182, 
183, 194, 263 ; official recep- 
tion, 58 ; dinner-parties, 61, 64, 
85, 121, 130, 154, 308 ; at the 
play, 62, 85, 139, 277 ; at the 
Ice Hills, 62, 114 ; learns the 
Mazourka, 63 ; presented with 
a dagger, 64 ; at the Winter 
Palace, 66, 119 ; entertains the 



INDEX 



343 



Duke and Duchess of Edin- 
burgh, 69 ; gives a ball, 70, 108, 
154, 179, 1S7, 220 ; at the 
Carnival, 71 ; bear-shooting ex- 
pedition, 73-77, 105 ; at the 
" Chevaliers Gardes " fete- 
day, 79 ; at Narva, 80 ; sport- 
ing expedition, 81-84; ^.t the 
Parade of troops, 88 ; Moscow, 
89-99 ; orders a Russian din- 
ner, 96 ; at the funeral of the 
Empress, 100-102 ; Merikiill, 
102 ; Peterhof, 103 ; Schliis- 
selburg, 103 ; receives the 
Prince of Wales, 116, 117; at 
the funeral of Alexander II, 
116; luncheon-party to royalties, 
117 ; leaves Petrograd, 123 ; 
received by the Empress of 
Germany, 124 ; at Darmstadt, 
124 ; Venice, 124 ; on board 
H.M.S. Helicon, 125 ; trans- 
ferred to H. M.S. Antelope, 126 ; 
at Chanak, 126 ; Constanti- 
nople, 127 ; reception at Thera- 
pia, 128 ; visits the Porte, 

132 ; inspects the Embassy, 

133 ; takes tea in Asia, 134 ; 
dines at the Russian Embassy, 
136 ; expedition to Kelia, 137, 
218; at Candili, 138; Beikos, 
139, 154 ; dines at the Italian 
Embassy, 140 ; size of her 
bouquet, 140 ; at Prinkipo, 
141, 162, 210, 225 ; visit to the 
Persian Ambassadress, 143 ; 
acts in a play, 144, 277, 322, 
326 ; success of her first party, 
145 ; at a Turkish wedding, 
146, 202-210 ; received by 
Prince and Princess Halim, 147, 
182 ; receives the Persian Am- 
bassadress, 149 ; at Stamboul, 
150. 153. 170. 182 ; garden- 
parties, 152, 220, 337 ; visit to 
a harem, 155 ; receives Prince 
and Princess Halim, 163 ; at 
Scutari, 163, 192 ; preparations 
for leaving Therapia, 166 ; at 
Ismid, 166 ; at the British 
Embassy, 167 ; caught in a dust- 
storm, 168 ; visits the Bazaar, 
170 ; entertains Turks, 172 ; 
visits a Turkish family, 173 ; 
takes part in The Critic, 177 ; 
fortune told, 189, 191 ; marriage 
of her sister, 190 ; picnics, 192, 
219; trip to Athens, 193-201, 

23 



324 ; at Eleusis, 195 ; ascends 
Mount Pentelicus, 196 ; dines 
with the Sultan, 197, 200, 302- 
305 ; return to Constantinople, 
201, 301, 325 ; description of 
her children, 212-214; yacht- 
ing expeditions, 217, 221-226, 
327-329, 333, 334 ; at the 
Giant's Mountain, 228 ; Syra, 
232 ; Alexandria, 233 ; Cairo, 

235 ; receives the Khedive, 

236 ; at an Egyptian wedding, 
236-238 ; her house, 239, 243- 
245 ; at the citadel, 239 ; the 
Pyramids, 241-243, 268 ; visits 
the hospital, 241, 243, 256, 260, 
262 ; boudoir, 244 ; receives 
Princess Nazli, 245 ; present 
from the Vice-Reine, 247 ; 
dines at the Abdin Palace, 248 ; 
drum, 250 ; expedition with 
" Cook," 251-253 ; at Sera- 
peum, 251 ; breakfasts with 
Princess Mansour, 254-256 ; 
receives an Egyptian lady, 256 ; 
expedition to Tel-el-Kebir, 257 ; 
attack of typhoid fever, 266 ; at 
Heluan, 268 ; charity ball, 271- 
275 ; garden-fete in aid of the 
church funds, 277-279 ; at the 
Coptic Cathedral service, 279 ; 
journey up the Nile, 280-295 ; 
at Luxor, 283, 290 ; Karnak, 
285, 291 ; return to Cairo, 295 ; 
farewell visits to harems, 295- 

298 ; at Marseilles, 299 ; Naples, 

299 ; presented with the Order 
of the Shefakat, 305 ; requested 
by the Sultan to preside at a 
concert for the sufferers in the 
earthquake at Smyrna, 304- 
307 ; entertains Admiral Lord 
John Hay, 308-310 ; result 
of the concert, 310 ; charity 
bazaar, 317-319 ; Christmas 
Tree, 319 ; at the Dorcas 
Society, 321 ; moves to Thera- 
pia, 329 ; expedition to Broussa, 
330-333 ; Dorcas Fete, 335 

Dust-storm at Constantinople, 168 

Earle, General, 271 ; at Abbasi- 

yeh, 254 
Edinburgh, H.R.H. Duchess of, 

63, 65, 66, 69, 77 
Edinburgh, H.R.H. Prince Alfred, 

Duke of, 68, 69 ; at the funeral 

of the Empress of Russia, loi ; 



344 



INDEX 



of the Emperor Alexander II, 

112 

Education, cost of in Russia, 34 

Edward VII, King, arrival at 
Petrograd, 115 ; at the funeral 
of Alexander II, 116; invests 
Alexander III with the Order 
of the Garter, 117; entertained 
at lunch by Lord and Lady 
Dufferin, 117; leaves Petro- 
grad, 118 

Egypt, climate, 259 

Egypt, Khedive, appearance, 236 ; 
his mother, 237 ; wife, 237 ; 
dinner-party, 248 ; school-feast, 

263 ; present at the return of 
the Holy Carpet from Mecca, 

264 ; at the Charity Ball, 274 
Egypt, the Vice-Reine, 237 ; gift 

to Lady Dufferin, 247 ; receives 

her, 251, 264, 271, 298 
Egyptian Army, the new, sports, 

268 ; house, 241, 249 
Eleusis, 195 ; ruins of the Temple 

of Ceres, 195 ; costume of the 

peasants, 195 ; their dancing, 

196 ; costume of the men, 196 
Elliot, Colonel Minto, 241 
Eyoub, Court of the Sacred 

Mosque, 188 

Fairfax, Captain, 308 

Falcon, the, 183 

Fatma, Princess, 259 ; receives 
Lady Dufferin, 312 ; appear- 
ance, 312 

Fernandez, Madame, 315 

Finland, Gulf of, 60 

Fishing with a " paraketta," 224 

FitzGerald, Mrs., at the Pyramids, 
241 ; dinner-party, 243 

FitzGerald, Sir Gerald, 243 

Fitzroy, Captain, 233 

Foote, Barrington, 244 

Ford,. Johnny, at Athens, 194, 196 

Ford, Mr., at Athens, 194, 197, 201 

Fortune-teller, a Turkish, 189, 191 

Foundling Hospital, Moscow, 94- 
96 

Frederick, Crown Prince of Ger- 
many, 4 ; at the funeral of the 
Empress of Russia, loi ; enter- 
tains Lord and Lady Dufferin, 
124 

G., General, mode of attending 

church, 28 
Galitzin, Prince, at Krasnoe, 44 



Galitzin, Prince John, 23, 25 

Gazelle, the, 222 

George V, King, attack of fever at 

Athens, 199, 201 
Ghika, Prince, funeral, 122 
Giant's Mountain, 228 
Giers, M. de, 21, 40, 64 
Girofld Girofla, performance of, 

253 

Gisiko, Eric, 121 

Goldsmid, Sir Frederick, at Thera- 
pia, 215 

Gortschakoff, Prince, 8, 11, 38, 56 

Goschen, Mrs., at Constantinople, 
143 ; takes part in The Critic, 
177 ; at Therapia, 201 ; yacht- 
ing expeditions, 222, 327 ; cook- 
ing, 223 ; illness, 266 ; at the 
charity bazaar, 318 

Goschen, Sir Edward, at Con- 
stantinople, 143 ; takes part in 
The Critic, 177 ; at Therapia, 
201 ; yachting expeditions, 224, 
327 ; at the charity bazaar, 
318 

Goschen, Teddie, 211 ; at the 
charity bazaar, 318 

Gosselin, Mr., 121 

Gough, Captain, in command of 
H.M.S. Imogene, 336 

Graham, Hugh, at Cairo, 276 

Granville, Granville George, 2nd 
Earl, telegram to Lord Dufferin, 
231 

Grapes, mode of eating, 164 

Greathed, Miss, 202 

Greece, King of, at Athens, 194 ; 
appearance, 197 ; entertains 
Lord and Lady Dufferin, 197, 
201 

Greece, Queen of, at the funeral of 
the Empress of Russia, loi ; at 
Athens, 194 ; appearance, 194, 
200 ; death of a child, 195 

Greek Church service, 29, 36, 84 

Green, Sir Henry, at Cairo, 267 

Grenfell, Captain, 183, 216 ; at 
Therapia, 202 

Grenfell, Colonel, 271 

Greville, Mr., 194, 195, 196, 201 ; 
at Therapia, 220 

Grey, Lord de, at Cairo, 277 

Grimston, Lady Harriet, 114, 120, 
122 

Grosvenor, Mr., 29, 38, 41 

Gurnah, Temple of, 287 

Gymnastic Establishment at 
Petrograd, 35 



INDEX 



345 



Hadji Baba, sweet-shop, 183 

Haig, Captain, 63, 65 

Halim, Prince, 163 ; receives 
Lady Dufferin, 147 ; garden at 
Cairo, 249 

Halim, Princess, 156 ; receives 
Lady Dufferin, 147, 179, 182, 
227 ; dines with Lord and Lady 
Duflferin, 163 

Halki Island, 327 

Hall, Mrs., 51, 54 ; journey up the 
Nile, 280, 294 

Hamilton, Lord Frederick, 3, 6 ; 
takes part in a troika drive, 55 ; 
bear-shooting expedition, 72, 
73-77 ; tossed by women, 72, 
76 ; at Peterhof, 103 

Hamilton, Frederick, at the mar- 
riage of his sister, 190 ; at 
Athens, 193 

Hamilton, Katherine, at Con- 
stantinople, 129, 131 ; Candili, 
138 ; size of her bouquet, 140 ; 
at Prinkipo, 141 ; dress at a 
Fancy Ball, 148 ; at Stamboul, 
153; visits a harem, 155 ; takes 
part in The Critic, 177 ; en- 
gagement, 186 ; bridesmaids, 
187, 190 ; fortune told, 189 ; 
marriage, 190 ; gift from the 
Sultan, 190. See Nicolson 

Hamlyn, General, 130 

Hanson, Mrs. Arthur, 135, 138, 
145, 170 ; view from her house 
and garden, 138 

Happy Pair, The, performance of, 
326 

Hardinge, Hon. C, takes part in 
The Critic, 177 ; yachting ex- 
peditions, 224, 327 ; at Cairo, 
268 ; the charity bazaar, 318 

Harem, a Turkish, 155 

Haskeui, fire at, 314 ; refugees, 

315 

Hassan, Princess, receives Lady 
Dufferin, 276, 298 

Hatasu, Princess, 289 

Hawk, the, 228 

Hay, Admiral Lord John, 307 ; 
reception at Constantinople, 
308-310 ; entertained at dinner 
by Lord and Lady Dufferin, 308 

Heap, Mrs., 172 

Helene, Grand Duchess, 32 

Helicon, H.M.S., 125, 299, 307 

Heluan, 268 

Hermitage, the, collection of pic- 
tures at, 36, 86 



Hesse, Prince of, 65 

Hesse, Prince Alexander of, at 

the funeral of the Empress of 

Russia, loi 
Hiershil, M. le Jonkhier van der 

Staal de, 55 
Hirsch, Baron, 316 
Hobart, Admiral, 228 
Hobart, Mrs., 192 
Hobe, General, Master of the 

Horse to the Sultan, 311, 323 
Hobe, Madame de, 311, 316 
Hussein, Princess, receives Lady 

Dufferin, 253 

Ibrahim Pasha, house at Beikos, 

139 
Ice Hills, toboganning slide, 62 
Imogene, H.M.S., 336 
Ismail, his mother, 276, 277 
Ismid, Gulf of, 166 
Ivan the Great, Tower of, 93, 94 ; 

the bell, 94 

John the Terrible, 90 ; burial-place 
of, 91 ; excommunicated, 94 

Joliffe, Captain, 126, 131, 222, 
233 ; at the Pyramids, 242 

Jomini, Baron, 12, 21, 23, 38, 121 

Jomini, Baroness, 12 

" Judas " tree, flowers of the, 326 

" Kabobs," 171 

Kadekeui, 211 ; Regatta, 228 

Karnak, 285 ; Temple of, 291 

Kelia, 137, 218 

Kemball, Sir Arnold, at Cairo, 267 

Kennedy, Lord and Lady Alex- 
ander, 251 

Kennedy, Miss, at Therapia, 201, 
202 

Kennedy, Sir Robert, 55, 56 ; 
bear-shooting expedition, 72, 
73~77. 80 ; on board H.M.S. 
Antelope, 126 ; dress at a Fancy 
Ball, 148 ; takes part in The 
Critic, 177 

Kerr, Lord Walter, 125 

Khreptovitch, Count, Grand Cham- 
bellan, 12 

Kiosque, a Turkish, 135 

Knollys, Miss, at Petrograd, 115, 
118 

Koehne, Baron, 38 

Krasnoe, 43 

Kremlin, the, 90, 93 ; churches, 
91 ; the Palace, 90 ; Sacred 
Gate, 94 ; Treasury, 90 



346 



INDEX 



Kreutz, Countess, fancy dress 
ball, 69 ' 

Labanoff, M., Ambassador to 

England, 56 
La Bayadere, ballet, 20 
Ladoga, Lake, 36, 103, 104 
Lady Hermione, the, 216, 217, 222, 

225, 327, 333 ; goes ashore, 221 
Lady Muriel, the, 333 
Lafontaine, M., Secretary of the 

Ottoman Bank, 311 
Lambton, Mr., 125 
Langenau, Countess, Austrian Am- 
bassadress, 16, 24, 61, 62 ; her 

position, 32 
Langenau, M. de, 24 
La vie pour le Czar, performance 

of, 78 
Le Fits de Gihoyer, performance of, 

62 
Leith, Colonel, Commandant at 

Cairo, 239 
Le Mariage d, la Mode, tableau, 

317. 322 
Le Printemps, tableau, 160 
Les Cloches de Corneville, per- 
formance of, 96 
Le Serment d'Horace, performance 

of, 199 
L'Estrange, Captain, 114 
L'Etre de St. Martin, performance 

of, 199 
Lieven, Prince and Princess Andre, 

64 
Lieven, Prince, Grand Maitre de 

la Cour, II, 12, 16 
Lloyd, l^ajor, 241 
Loftus, Lord and Lady Augustus, 

7 w, 8 
Longworth, Mrs., 331 
Luban, 74, 89 
Lutka, Count, 40 
Luxor, 283 ; temple of, 290 
Lykabettus, 324 

Macfarren, Mr., 222, 225, 228, 329 
journey up the Nile, 280 ; 
yacht, the Lady Muriel, 333 

Madame Favart, performance of, 

251 
Malet, Sir Edward, receives Lord 
and Lady DufEerin at Cairo, 
235 ; dinner-party, 238 ; at 
the Pyramids, 241 ; dines with 
the Khedive, 248 ; present at 
the return of the Holy Carpet 
from Mecca, 264 ; at the charity 



ball, 274 ; acts in a play, 277 ; 
naystery entertainment at the 
Garden Fete, 278 

Mal-Tepe, 328 

Mann, Captain, 329 

Mansour, Princess, 251 ; receives 
Lady DufEerin, 253, 297 ; en- 
tertains her at breakfast, 254 ; 
number of her slaves, 255 ; 
dresses, 256 ; use of her fan, 
256 ; entertains Lady Dufferin's 
children, 259 ; at the Highland 
Sports, 260 ; the Garden Fete, 
279 

Marathon, Plains of, 197 

Marie Feodorovna, Dowager-Em- 
press of Russia, receives Lady 
Dufferin, 18 ; likeness to her 
sister, 25 

Marie Pavlovna, Grand Duchess, 
receives Lady Dufferin, 19. See 
Vladimir 

Marinitch, Madame, at Therapia, 
201 

Marmora, Sea of, 138, 141, 163 

Marriette, M., house, 251 

Marseilles, 299 

Martino Bey, Madame, 271 

Maspero, M., head of the Museum 
at Cairo, 290 

Maxwell, Mr., at Cairo, 267 

Mazourka dance, 63, 70 

Mecca, return of the Holy Carpet 
from, 264-266 

Medin-et-Abu, temple and palace, 
290 

Mehemet Ali, 147, 155 

Melikoff, Loris, appointed Dicta- 
tor, 67 ; attempts on his life, 
67, 69 ; anecdotes of, 72 

Memphis, 251 

Merikiill, 102 

Michael, Grand Duke, 19 

Midhat Pasha, trial, 135 ; con- 
demned to death, 135, 137 

Moda Bay, 222, 226, 228 

Moltke, General, story of, 41 

Moore, Lionel, 241, 245 ; stories of 
Lord Stratford, 241, 283 ; jour- 
ney up the Nile, 280, 294 

Mordoflisf, " A Visit to the 
Pyrenees," translation, 212-214 

Moscow, 89 ; Cathedral, 91, 92, 
94 ; Foundling Hospital, 94- 
96 ; Kremlin, 90, 93 ; Romanoff 
House, 92 ; Sacristy of the 
Patriarchs, 92 ; Temple of the 
Saviour, 99 



INDEX 



347 



Mouche, the, 147 

Mudania, 330, 333 

Munir Pasha, 190 ; acts as in- 
terpreter to the Sultan, 131, 303 

Mustapha Aga, Consul at Luxor, 
283 

My Uncle's Will, performance of, 
322 



Namouna, the, 217 

Napier, Lord, of Magdala, at 
Cairo, 267, 276, 290 

Naples, 299 ; Museum, 300 

Narischkine, Madame, sporting 
expedition, 81 

Narischkine, M., shooting ex- 
pedition, 81-84 

Narva, 80, 102 

Naval Engagements, performance 
of, 160 

Nazli, Princess, 237, 245, 246 ; 
receives Lady Dufferin, 259 ; 
at the Highland Sports, 260 

Nelidoff, M., Ambassador at Con- 
stantinople, 301 

Nesselrode, Count, 12 

Neva, the, ice on breaks up, 33 ; 
ceremony at the opening, 34 ; 
frozen over, 36 ; the Bridge of 
Boats, 85 

Newman, Mrs., 326 

Nicholas, Alexandra Petronova, 
Grand Duchess, receives Lord 
and Lady Dufferin, 20 

Nicholas, Grand Duke, receives 
Lord Dufferin, 20 

Nicolson, Arthur, chief of the 
Student Interpreters' College, 
140, 170 ; sketch of Turkish 
history, 140 ; acts in a play, 144, 
177 ; at a fancy ball, 148, 264 ; 
engagement, 186 ; marriage, 
190 ; at the Dardanelles, 300 ; 
return to Constantinople, 301 ; 
at Athens, 334. See Carnock 

Nicolson, Katherine, marriage, 
190 ; at Cairo, 235 ; dines at 
the Abdin Palace, 249 ; attack 
of typhoid fever, 266 ; return 
to Constantinople, 301 ; at 
Athens, 324 

Nigra, M., Ambassador at Petro- 
grad, 21 ; presented with a 
sword, 64 ; bear-shooting ex- 
pedition, 105 

Nihilists, arrests, 35 ; plots, 67, 
112 ; trial, 123 



Nile, the, 236 ; journey up, 280, 

293 

Novikoff, Madame, 97 
Nowell, 43, 74, 271, 294, 309 
Nowikow, Madame, Russian Am- 
bassadress, at Constantinople, 
128 

Obolenski, Princess, 22 
O'Donovan, Mr., From a Prison 

to a Throne, 176 
Okroshka soup, 96 
Oldenburg, Prince d', 18, 19, 57 ; 

views on abolishing armies, 19, 

34 ; mode of expressing grati- 
tude, 99 
Oldenburg, Eugenie Maximiliovna, 

Princess of, receives Lord and 

Lady Dufferin, 19 
Olga Feodorovna, Grand Duchess, 

receives Lord and Lady Dufferin, 

19 
Oliphant, Mrs, at Therapia, 201 ; 

Cairo, 276 
Oliphant, Mrs., at Therapia, 202 
Onnas, tomb of, 252 
Onou, M., 153 
Oranienbaum, 42 
Orion, the, 233 
Ornstein, M., 271, 274 
Ortakein, Student Interpreters' 

College at, 169 
Oserki, 58 
Ostroff, 74 
Our Bitterest Foe, performance of, 

322 
Our Wife, performance of, 326 
Oustia, 80 

Paget, Captain and Mrs., at Cairo, 

276 
Paget, Lord Alfred, at Cairo, 276 
Pahlen, Count, 22 
Pahlen, Madame, 22, 54 
Palmer, Captain and Mrs., 137 
Paraketta, mode of fishing, 224 
Paris, 51 
Parish, Mr., cotton-mill at Schliis- 

selburg, 103 
Parish, Mrs., 103 
Paskevitch, Prince, collection of 

arms and china, 26 
Paskevitch, Princess, amateur 

theatricals, 23 ; embroidered 

panels, 24 
Pattes de Mouche, performance of, 

23 



348 



INDEX 



Paul Michaelovitch, Grand Duke, 
23, 26 

Paulotsoff, M., 48 

Pender, Sir John, at Constanti- 
nople, 301 ; dines with the 
Sultan, 302 

Pentelicus, Mount, 196 

Pergos, 144 

Pericles, birthplace of, 196 

Perponcher, Comtesse, 2 

Persian Ambassador, picnics, 192, 
219 ; appearance, 192 ; Am- 
bassadress, receives Lady Duf- 
ferin, 143, 227 ; costume, 143 ; 
visits Lady Dufferin, 149 

Persian ceremony, account of a, 
174-176 

Persian Embassy, Constantinople, 
ball at the, 183 

Peterhof, 38, 103 ; chapel, 40 ; 
the Palace, 39, 103 

Peter the Great, palaces, 39, 103 ; 
portraits of, 121 

Petrograd, 7, 52 ; impressions of, 
8 ; Botanical Gardens, 86 ; 
British Embassy, 8, 14 ; Car- 
nival, 71 ; carriages. Museum 
of , 1 1 8 ; Champ de Mars, annual 
Parade, 88 ; china manufactory, 
73 ; German Embassy, 22 ; 
Gymnastic Establishment, 35 ; 
Imperial Library, 121 ; Italian 
Embassy, 21 ; Opera House, 13 ; 
Winter Palace, 119; explosion 
at, 64-67 

Phalerum, 198 

Plunkett, Mrs., 55 ; expedition 
to Prinkipo, 141 

Plunkett,' Sir Francis, First Secre- 
tary at Petrograd, 7, 16, 20 ; 
takes part in a troika drive, 55 ; 
First Secretary at Constanti- 
nople, 129 ; at the trial of 
Midhat Pasha, 135 ; appointed 
First Secretary at Paris, 139, 
163 

Police, Chief of the Secret, at- 
tempt on his life, 22 

Pompeii, 299 

Potemkin, ruined palace of, 81 

Pratasoff, Countess, Grande 
Maitresse, 11 ; receives Lady 
Dufferin, 12 ; at the Winter 
Palace, 15 

Preciozi, M., takes part in The 
Critic, 177 

Prinkipo, island of, 141, 162, 210, 
222, 225 



Probyn, General Sir Dighton, at 

Petrograd, 115, 118 
Pusey, Captain, 131 
Pyramids, the, 241, 268 



Radowitz, M., Ambassador at 
Constantinople, 301, 309 

Radzivill, Princess, 156 

Ramadhan fast, 153 

Rambler, the, 22, 225 

Rameses II, 286, 295 

Rameses III, portraits of, 290 

Rawson, Captain, 308 

Regatta, races, 229 ; sports, 230 

Rhine, the, 124 

" Robert College," prize-giving, 
141 

Rous, Mr., 314 

Roxana ballet, 13 

Russell, Lady Odo, 2, 52 

Russell, Lord Odo, 2, 6 

Russia, ballet, 13 ; dances, system 
at, 62, 64 ; education, cost of, 
34 ; police, amount spent on, 
114 ; wedding service, 37 

Russia, Cesarevitch, receives Lord 
Dufferin, 18. See Alexander III 

Russia, Cesarevna, receives Lady 
Dufferin, 18. See Marie Feodo- 
rovna 

Russia, Empress of, receives Lady 
Dufferin, 15 ; death, 99 ; lying- 
in-state, 99 ; funeral, 100-102 

S., Miss, at Cairo, 264 ; the V 

Pyramids, 268 ; journey up the 

Nile, 280, 294 
Said Pasha, Grand Vizier, 132, 

172, 218, 303 ; hard work, 221 
Said Princess, receives Lady 

Dufferin, 245, 296 ; at the 

Garden Fete, 279 
St. Basil Cathedral, Moscow, 92 M 

St. Isaac's Church, Petrograd, 14 ; fl 

ceremony at, 29 
St. Moritz, Count, style of his 

house, 249 
St. Sophia, Stamboul, 150-152, 

153 
Sakkarah, 251 
Sala, George Augustus, at the 

funeral of Alexander II, 113 
Sala, Madame della, 272, 298 
Salamis, Bay of, 324 
Sanderson, Sir Alfred, 147, 161 
Sandford, Dr., Bishop of Gibraltar, 



INDEX 



349 



story of, 322 ; consecrates the 
church at Therapia, 325 

Santos, Madame, 60 

Sartoris, Mr., 202 ; gipsy enter- 
tainment, 142 ; dress at a fancy 
ball, 148 ; death, 266 

Saxe-Meiningen, Prince of, 5 

Schliemann, Madame, 199 

Schliemann, M., Museum, 200 

Schliisselburg, cotton-mill, 103 ; 
Fortress, 104 

Schmetzky, 102 

SchouvaloflE, Count, 21 ; bear- 
shooting expedition, 105 ; 
death, 186 

Schouvaloff, Countess, 12, 51, 53, 
54 ; at the Greek Church ser- 
vice, 36 ; children's party, 57 ; 
illness of her mother, 72 

Schweinitz, General von. Am- 
bassador at Petrograd, 22, 41 ; 
dinner-parties, 61, 123 

Schweinitz, Madame von, 16, 22 ; 
at Berlin, 52 

Scutari, 163 ; cemetery at, 192 

Selby, Captain, shooting expedi- 
tion, 183 ; accident, 184 ; death, 
185; funeral, 186; grave, 192; 
murderers sentenced, 216 

Selby, Mrs., death of her husband, 
185 ; arrival at Constantinople, 
186 

Selby, Miss, at Constantinople, 
186 

Serapeum, the, 251 

Serge, Grand Duke, 26 

Seti I, tomb of, 187 

Seymour, Sir Beauchamp, at 
Corfu, 124 

" Shadoof," working of the, 282 

Sherif Pasha, 238 

SimonofE Monastery, 97 

Sinadino, M., 271, 274 

Sleeping Beauty, performance of, 6 

Smolna, Institution for " Jeunes 
Filles nobles," 120, 122 ; 
asylum for old people, 120 

Smyrna, concert in aid of the 
sufferers in the earthquake, 310 

Snow-white, performance of, 181 

Soltikoff, Prince, 22, 71 

Soltikoff, Princess, 8, 22 

Sparrow Hill, 96 

Stamboul, Museum, 183 ; Pigeon 
Mosque, 153, 170; St. Sophia, 
150-152, 153 

Stchi, or cabbage soup, 96 

Steiglitz, Baron, 32, 33 



Stephen, Condie, Secretary at 

Petrograd, 7, 17, 20 
Stephenson, Captain, 308 
Sterlet, 26 

Strangford, Lady, 235, 332 ; hos- 
pital, 240 
Stratford, Lord, de Redcliffe, 

anecdotes of, 261, 283 
Stuart, Colonel, 247 
Suffield, Charles, fifth Baron, at 

Petrograd, 115 
Suleiman Pasha, receives Lord 

Dufferin, 126, 130 
Sulphur baths, at Broussa, 331 
Sutherland, George, third Duke of, 

at Cairo, 267, 272 
Swaine, Colonel, 16 
Swaine, Major, takes part in The 

Critic, 177 
Syra, 232 

Tahleaux-vivants, 160 
Tchesme, 311 
TchoglokofE, M., 81, 83 
Teesdale, Colonel, at Petrograd, 

115 ; in quarantine at Con- 
stantinople, 334 
Tel-el- Kebir, 257 ; battle of, 258 
Temple, Sir Richard, at Therapia, 

202 
Therapia, 128, 129, 188, 201, 211 ; 

English Church opened at, 215 ; 

consecrated, 325 ; Regatta, 366 
" Thi," tomb of, 252 
Thunderer, the, 125 ; explosion on 

board, 166 
Tilburina, the, 210, 217, 221, 222, 

225, 308, 327, 328 ; accident to, 

228 
Toboganning in Russia, 62 
Tombs of the Kings, 287 ; of the 

Queens, 290 
Trapdoor Spiders, 267 
Tricoupi, Miss, 324 
Tricoupi, M., 195 
Troika drives, 17, 54, 55, 58 
Troitza Monastery, 98 
Trotter, Major, 308 
Tsarskoe-Seloe, 38, 43, 48 
Turkish family, receive Lady 

Dufferin, 173 ; ladies, their 

dress, 154, 203 ; yashmaks, 190 
Turks, entertained at dinner by 

Lord and Lady Dufferin, 172 
Tyrwhitt, Mr., 308 

Udacha yacht, 103 
Uddrias, 102 



350 



INDEX 



Vanutelli, Monsieur, 171 

Varna, 299 

Venice, 124 

Victoria, Queen, telegram to Lady 
Dufferin, 80 

Villiers, Colonel, 80 ; bear-shoot- 
ing expedition, 80 ; at Peterhof , 
103 

Vincino, Mile, 153 

Vladimir, Grand Duke, no; re- 
ceives Lord Dufferin, 19 ; din- 
ner-party, 60 

Vladimir, Marie Pavlovna, Grand 
Duchess, receives LadyDufferin, 
19 ; appearance, 60 

Volta, the, 301 

Wales, Prince of , 115. See Edward 
VII 

Wales, Princess of, 115. See 
Alexandra 

Wallace, Sir Donald Mackenzie, 
135 ; takes part in The Critic, 
177 

Wallace, Lew, American Minister 
at Constantinople, 188 

Wallace, Mrs. Lew, funny ex- 
pressions, 188 

Wallace, M., 289 

Wallenberg, Madame, 220, 221, 

313 

Wassilitchki, M., Curator of the 

Botanical Gardens, 86 
Water-carriers, 288 



Wedding, an Egyptian, 236-238 . 
the bride, 237 ; cost of, 246 ; 
Russian, 37, 68 ; Turkish, 146, 
202-210 ; the " Nuptial Cham- 
ber," 204 ; the bride, 207 ; 
bridegroom, 208 

Wellesley, Admiral, 202 

Wemyss, Francis, ninth Earl of, 
ijj n 

Werder, General, bear-shooting 
expedition, 105 

William I, Emperor of Germany, 
2 ; receives Lord Dufferin, 5, 
123 ; characteristics, 5 

Winsler, Captain, 308 

Wolmer, Lady, at Constantinople, 

323 
Wolmer, Lord, at Constantinople, 
323 ; received by the Sultan, 

323 

Wolverton, George, second Baron, 
at Therapia, 201 

Wolverton, Lady, at Therapia, 201 

Wrench, Mr., 321 

Wyndham, Sir Hugh, Secretary 
at Constantinople, 179, 333 ; 
leaves, for England, 310 

Wyndham, Mrs., at Constanti- 
nople, 179, 333 ; at Therapia, 
201, 212 ; leaves for England, 
310 

Zakhuska, custom of, 21, 55 
Zeineb, Princess, 182 



Printed by Hazell, Waison & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury, England. 



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